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La A aa 14 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, May 23, 1990 On May 14, a consultants report and recommendations on recreation facilities in Scugog was presented in final form to Scugog Township council. The report titled "Town- ship of Scugog, Scugog Centre Facilities, Feasibility Study," is a lengthy one, running to al- most 90 pages. The consultants, Sesquaig Inc., of Ottawa, conclude that Scugog needs a multi-purpose recreation facility made up of a swimming pool, second ice pad, banquet or multi-purpose hall seating up to 400 people, fitness room and squash courts. The site for this proposed facility is on Township owned lands beside the Scugog Arena, just west of Port Perry. Township council has made no decision on whether to accep the recommendations. : A public meeting has been called for June 11 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the council cham- bers to give interested citizens an opportunity to voice their views one way or another on this report and its recommenda- tions. Copies of the report are available for public perusal at the Township offices and at the Memorial Library. The Port Perry Star will be re-printing portions of the con- sultants report, starting this week. SUMMARY The purpose of this study has been to examine the feasibility of the Township of Scugog develop- ing a major multipurpose recrea- tion facility at the Scugog Centre site in Port Perry. The facility, which is intended to serve the physical, cultural and social re- quirements of the Township's residents, and to provide a municipal focus for Scugog. The study's conclusion is that the facilities described are very much in demand, and that both capital and on-going costs are within the ability of the Township to undertake. The Scugog Centre facility will have a positive impact upon the Township, improving the quality of life and the aitractiveness of the Township for both residential and business development; it will provide greatly improved oppor- tunities for social, cultural and physical recreation programs for Township residents. These benefits were anticipated in the terms of reference for the study, which included the following comment: The need for this sort of unify- ing force is particularly great in Scugog, which is, in its present geographic configuration, a very recent creation, and one that, in the minds of many residents, is merely an administrative convenience. Pride in local communities is strong, and there is no reason to dilute that pride. The contained existence of local facilities, with programs run by community groups, will foster that pride, in the future as it has in the past: an attractive multi-use civic recrea- tion centre will help the township as a whole, drawing residents ether. The facility, to be located adja- cent to the Port Perry Arena, en- compasses an indoor swimming pool, squash courts, an additional ice pad, a large multipurpose hall, and a fitness/weight-training room. These individual com- ponents will be linked by a central service core, with reception area, locker rooms, lounge, food ser- vices, and possibly some related commercial space. The multipurpose hall will pro- vide space for large gatherings that cannot now be accom- described above, and presented these to the steering committee along with projected capital and operating costs. ~The capital cost is estimated at $6.5 to $7.5 million, and the impact on taxes for the average Township household of the annual operating deficit (over and above monies to be received from payments by users of the various SECTION 111 Financing and Implementation This section reviews the various facilities that have been recom- mended; outlines the methodology and results of the householders' survey that was in- itiated based on these recom- ended facilities, and provides a plan of action for implementing the recommended facilities. J NEW ICE PAD A SEATING ABOVE r? 1 DRESSING BELOW - al | LOCKERS RE ENTRY COURT KITCHEN +4 PARKING modated within the Township; in addition, it will be divisible into two or more smaller rooms, to serve a large selection of regular recreation programs -- for exam- ple, fitness classes, arts and crafts groups, card games, meetings, seniors' gatherings. Because of the variety of ac- tivities that will take place at the Centre, and combined with the outdoor activities already available at Scugog Centre, the facility should be particularly ap- pealing to families and other group users who will be able to pursue a variety of activities ac- cording to the individual interests of their members. In summary, the consulting firm of SESQUAIG Incorporated has recommended to the study committee and to the Scugog Township Council that Council ap- prove the development of the pro- posed multipurpose recreation centre and proceed with its im- plementation according to guidelines set down in the feasibility study report. The study process consisted of extensive discussions with the committee, with municipal of- ficials, and with groups and in- dividual members of the public- from the Township; relevant background documents and material relating to requirements and finances were also examined. After receiving and analyzing this information, the consultants developed the recreational re- quirements for the facility, as components - program fees, ren- tals, etc.) is estimated, at current value, to be $28. At that point, a survey question- naire outlining the consultants' conclusions was developed, ap- proved by the steering commit- tee, and distributed to all Scugog households. Of the 6,277 survey forms distributed, 2,342 were returned and tabulated, a substantial 37 percent of the total. In brief, the results were as follows: strongly in favour and in favour, 1,559 (66.6 percent) ; in- different, 146 (6.5 percent); strongly opposed and opposed, 635 (27 percent). Finally, the consultants prepared their major recommen- dation, that the Township proceed with development of the Scugog Centre facility, and outlined a plan of implementation. The report recommends that, in the near future, a committee be struck by the Township Council to examine each of the capital fun- ding options and recommend which one or ones should be pursued. It is also recommended that the Township prepare.an application for submission to the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation for ma- jor capital support for the project, and that the Township apply for a capital conservation grant to assist with the required im- provements to the existing Port Perry Arena. A model planning and construc- tion timetable is also provided. Facilities Recommended for Consideration The recommended recreational facilities for Scugog Centre are as follows: Pool -- 15,000 sq. ft.; New ice surface for arena -- 30,000 sq. ft. ; Community Hall -- 6,000 sq. ft.; Fitness Gymnasium -- 2,000 sq. ft.; Squash Courts -- 3,000 sq. ft.; Core Service Area (to include reception area, central locker rooms, lounge, display space, cof- fee shop, etc. -- 7,000 sq. ft. Total Area: -- 63,000 square feet. Capital Cost (in 1990 dollars): $100 - $125 per square foot: Ap- proximate cost: $6.5 to $7.5 million. Approaches to Capital Funding Several approaches can be taken to the capital funding for this major project, and it is our recommendation (see Chapter 12, Implementation Guide) that the Township establish a committee to study each option carefully, and make recommendations to Council about the appropriate and the balance among the various options that are available. The various elements are as follows: 1. A parcel of land at Scugog Centre could be rezoned for com- mercial development and sold to a private concern that would undertaken to construct and operate a facility that would be compatible with a recreation centre. Recommendations to the Township of Scugog Scugog Centre Feasibility Study 2. Provincial government grants. The specific criteria from the Ministry of Tourism and Recrea- tion for the next funding period (1991-92) are not yet available, but it can be anticipated that in general they will be similar to the requirements for 1990-91 (for which the last application date was September 8, 1989). Once a municipal decision is made to pro- ceed with the project, preparation for a grant application could be proceeded with in anticipation of sending it forward to the Ministry next summer. In fact, the Township has already begun the application process, in that if a grant request is for more than $250,000, the ap- plication must be accompanied by a feasibility study. In recent years there has been an increasing em-. phasis in support for developments for projects that result in increased coordination at the local level between public and private partners including local government, non-profit organiza- tions and the profit sector. In Central and Southwestern Ontario a capital grant of up to one third of the first $1.5 million may be available, together with one tenth of the remaining net eligible cost that exceeds $1.5 million. On capital construction of $7.5, grants might equal $1.1 million. The Township may also wish to consider preparing an application for a Capital Conservation grant, also from the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, for the required improvements to the existing arena. In Central and Southwestern Ontario, a grant may be available for one-third of eligible costs, to a maximum grant of $100,000. Priority is given to projects that were built before 1974. : 3. Public Fundraising 4. Lot Levies 5. Debenturing 6. Reserve Funds 7. Leasable commercial space in the 'core' of the new facility. Operating Costs (in 1990 dollars): Notes: 1. All operating costs have been generously estimated, in order to calculate a top limit to what can be expected for annual costs. 2. We are including the costs of operating the present arena, which will be totally linked with the new facility. 3. Annual costs for heat, light, maintenance and water have been calculated at an average of $3.00 per square foot for all of the complex except the ice. This amount should be more than ade- quate, given the experience of other jurisdictions in operating similar facilities. .. 4. As discussed in Chapter 9, it is recommended that a user-fee policy be established that will recover all costs directly at- tributable to individual programs from the participants in those pro- grams, in addition, an amount to be determined, and which may vary from program to program should be recovered to offset some of the indirect costs of operating the facility. 5. The estimated deficit is the amount remaining after an- ticipated income has been applied. * Income is Net, in the cases of the pool and the arena; gross in all other instances. Tum to Page 15 lowe omowms aes Ch --N i BSAA ec ---------- NADI