City can play role in saving bowling alley
Ed. note: this is a letter to Mayor Dan Curtis and city council.
Ed. note: this is a letter to Mayor Dan Curtis and city council.
Re: bowling alley closure.
We are writing today to request that the City of Whitehorse provide bowling lanes as part of recreational facilities for the citizens of Whitehorse.
Bowling is a very popular activity for people of all ages, including several bowling leagues and many organizations and businesses for special events.
Big Brothers Big Sisters use the current facility several times per year and provide passes to our Big and Little Brothers and Sisters.
It is also the site of our “signature” and most important fund-raiser of the year – “Bowl for Kids Sake”, which generates over $20,000 per year for our charity.
This single event alone provides over 20 per cent of our operating budget.
In speaking with the current building’s owner (Mr. Chris Sorg), he said he would be willing to donate existing equipment to the city (some of which is in good condition).
For a prospective new owner, it may be difficult to make a business case for investing in new equipment.
However, if you remove the necessity to provide a return on investment and provide a living for an owner/operator, we believe the city could run six to eight alleys on a break-even basis.
We also believe that the model of having bowling lanes operate out of a community centre (such as in Watson Lake) is the way to.
We also believe the city would have the support of many organizations if you took the lead to make this happen.
We are copying this letter to many organizations as well as the Yukon government Department of Community Services with the hope that they will write in support of this idea and that a funding partnership is able to be formed.
For the board of directors,
Harold Sher
Big and Little Brothers
and SistersYukon
Whitehorse
Comments (1)
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Wilf Carter on Oct 27, 2014 at 4:28 pm
The COW is already running deficit of $3.3 million dollars on their budget for this year and want to raise taxes by 12%. The COW of Whitehorse fiscal house is in a mess by run away costs and as much as this might be a cause it is a private business not a public asset. Private sector needs to step up. I know this sounds hard but the COW is too much involved in things it should not be! The COW should not raise taxes but change transit to make it more cost effective. Those big buses empty all the time does not work. We did not need to purchases those types of buses in the first place. Cut capital spending until the COW of Whitehorse gets its financial house in order. Freeze wages because the COW of Whitehorse can't afford the wages they are paying now. Cut recreational spending or increase rates so there is at least a better cost recovery. Look at contracting out some services like managing the Canadian games center and let the private sector try to make it work in a business model. For example let the private sector build a hotel and a small shopping center close to the Canadian games center. Contract out the public works and sell the equipment. The COW of Whitehorse has to get its operating cost down and balance the books. The COW has run out of its tax raising room and cannot place the cost on the backs of tax payers. The COW has to be come more operationally in its business management like every other City in Canada and it can do it. The above measures are hard and a lot of people will not like to hear or see them but the truth has to come out.
The Canadian games center should not have been built without connecting it to some major private sector components. Hotels and shopping are the normal ones. People like to stay in accommodations close to recreation and shopping. It still can be done. I have spent years in the private sector developing projects across Canada and in the Western US and this became the standard for normal community development of public assets. Maybe there might be an area for a new bowling facility. City of Edmonton is a most reason example. They are building the new arena in the down town close to office, retail shopping centers, nine major hotels so everyone will benefit and the new arena will be used more. Halifax did the same. It built an arena in the downtown next to a major shopping center and businesses and hotels.
The key with my message is COW has to get some integrated/innovative planning completed. COW should employee a firm that can give some clear analysis of their operation from an cost efficiency point of view and also from an economic development point of view. The COW can raise their revenue base and lower their cost if they develop a smart economic development plan. Having all the new buildings downtown was a great move by the COW. Changing the by-laws to permit more rental units to be built is another great move. I understand because of the change in the by-laws people are developing rental units which has resulting in more increase in units available. I understand one developer wants to build houses and build a rental unit in each house. Great idea. More of this innovative thinking needs to come forward. Mr. Mayor I am trying to challenge you to think harder and people to see maybe other opportunities the same as I am doing to the three Yukon Government parties.
The COW can make its economic future stronger by much more effective land planning and use of the land. I would be glad to help the City to identify some new ways of doing business. I wish that the private sector would step up with the bowling project not the COW.