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Analysis of Options for a Fitness Facility at

Beaches Community Centre

 

As of the end of May, 2023, a number of events have occurred that bring the matter of a Fitness Facility at BCC into sharp profile.

• A government grant of up to $61,000 was received, for the purchase of fitness equipment.  This equipment was intended to be put in place in the Lounge area upstairs in the BCC building.

• A grant of slightly over $196,000 was also received, to pave the hockey rink.

• The RMs of Victoria Beach and Alexander approved contributions to the project, boosting funds raised to approximately $330,000.

• At the Annual General Meeting on May 30, it was abundantly clear that a considerable and important segment of the BCC membership is strongly opposed to putting an interim fitness facility in the Lounge.

 

What Can We All Agree On?

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The BCC Board must try to find a path through the various options and obstacles to take advantage of the opportunity to add an important service for the community to the BCC in a way that the majority of the community can support. 

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The majority, if not all of the stakeholders appear to agree on the following:

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1. Paving of the hockey rink, and installation of pickleball courts, will proceed.  The Board has already decided on this.  This project will take approximately $200,000 of the $330,000 that the BCC has available in donated and pledged money.  This leaves a balance of $130,000 towards the Fitness Facility.

2. Even though a strong case can be made for an Interim Fitness facility in the upstairs Lounge, doing so would be divisive to the community.  Because of this, on June 13, 2023 the Board decided unanimously that an interim Fitness Facility should not be put in the Lounge.

3. It still seems to be a general consensus that the BCC should take advantage of the unique opportunity at hand to proceed with the creation of a fitness facility.  The unique opportunity is the fact that a large matching grant is in hand.  There is also significant momentum to the capital campaign.  This can be expected to grow as the public sees results with the paving of the hockey rink later this summer.

4. It seems to be consensus that a fitness facility at BCC is supportable.  It was part of the original plan for the building and the survey conducted last fall confirmed that there is substantial public support.  

 

What Are We Looking For?

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In the end, we are looking for a fully equipped fitness facility of at least 2,000 square feet.  It should be standalone (ie: accessible without opening up the entire building) and include shower facilities.

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Costs of Expansion

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The cost of a 2,000 ft.2 expansion would be approximately $600,000, based on a per square foot estimated cost of $300/fSq Ft.  This is very much a high level estimate- costs could be less, depending on whether or not volunteer labour and materials were used.

The $600,000 cost is just for the building.  The cost for equipment for a 2,000 ft.2 facility could be roughly pegged at $100,000.  This makes the high level total cost $700,000.

This expansion would include showers.  Placement on the east side would be preferable from a utilities standpoint.  The design could also incorporate additional storage near the canteen area.  This is something that the facility sorely needs.

The availability of showers would also attract new members to the BCC.

It is assumed that we would seek government funding for half the cost of the project.  That makes the fundraising target $350,000.

The balance in the fundraised account, after the hockey rink is paved, will be approximately $130,000.  This includes donations already in hand (+/- $235,000) and pledges.

We would try to retain the government grant of up to $61,000 for the purchase of equipment.  If we peg the total cost for equipment at $100,000, then $50,000 of the donated funds would have to be used for this purpose.  This would reduce our fundraised account to ($130,000-$50,000=) $80,000.

The incremental amount of money that needs to be raised, then, would be ($350,000-$80,000=) $270,000.

It must be emphasized that these numbers are estimates, with the best information available at this point in time.

 

Once a decision is made, the capital campaign would have to go into full gear. 

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We will prepare a request of Building Sustainable Communities (BSC), for January 2024, seeking their continued funding support.  BSC knows that the Interim Facility grant is Phase 1 of 2 phases, so we feel confident that we can put together a strong grant application.

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The main caution about proceeding immediately, taking out a line of credit loan, would be that if we did not get the government grant in 2024, we would be on the hook for the full cost of construction.

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Process

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As per the commitment made at the Annual General Meeting on May 30, a general meeting has been called for June 29th at 6:00pm for all members to attend to discuss a motion that will confirm the direction the club will take with respect to building expansion. 

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Summary

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1. Even though a strong business case can be made for an Interim Fitness Facility in the Lounge, taking into account all points of view, the Board has decided not to proceed with this option. 

2. The Board’s preference is to proceed with the project, fundraising in earnest in the expectation of raising sufficient funds before construction, anticipated in the spring of 2024.  It may be necessary to borrow funds to complete the project, if approximately $270,000 is not raised within the next year.

3. If the project proceeds, it should be managed by a representative Steering Committee that reports to the Board.

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If you have questions on the above content, please contact: 

Bill Hurtig:  bill.hurtig@hotmail.com

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