BRIDGEWATER — The owners of a newly opened sports centre in Bridgewater are asking for help to come up with enough money to make this year’s mortgage payments.

HB Studios Sports Centre has asked the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg and Town of Bridgewater for a total of $95,000, even though the two municipalities have already committed $310,000 each to the centre.

The South Shore Fieldhouse Society runs the sports centre.

It opened January 18, just two years after local volunteers formed the society to build the $3-million facility.

Society vice-president Scott Patterson said the centre is doing extremely well, but it needs some help with its capital budget.

"The reason we’re here today is not because we have a shortfall in operational funding," Mr. Patterson said.

"We’re not concerned at all on an operational basis. We’re able to meet our obligations no problem. Where we’re coming up with the shortfall is in our capital."

He told councillors that 500 walkers use the 200-metre track each day.

"That’s a big number," Mr. Patterson said. "Well in excess of double our initial predictions and projections."

But rentals of the sports field have not been so good, although he thinks that’s because the centre opened later than planned, which made it difficult for leagues and tournament organizers to plan to use the facility.

The society is short $95,000, Mr. Patterson said, and there are several reasons for that. The facility uses geothermal heating and installed it on the basis that it would get a certain amount back in grants. Society president Doug Quinn said the actual grant was $57,000 less than it expected to get back. Two fire escapes had to be added six weeks before the opening at an unbudgeted cost of $18,000 and an elevator was installed at a cost of $69,000. In all, the additions cost about $200,000, but Mr. Quinn said the society has managed to pay that down to about $95,000. It is asking Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg to contribute $45,000 each.

Mr. Quinn said it costs about $18,000 a month to run the facility and the society has enough money to pay those bills and put about $20,000 a year into a reserve fund for improvements, such as paving the parking lot, and for unplanned expenses.

"At the end of the day, we’ll make it through the year," Mr. Patterson said.

But he said the society will constantly be behind financially and the cumulative debt brought on by the shortfall in capital revenue this year will pose a problem several years down the road if not addressed now. Both councils said they will consider the request during budget deliberations.

By BEVERLEY WARE South Shore Bureau
Fri. Mar 20 - 4:46 AM
( bware@herald.ca)