MORRISBURG – The vacancy left by the closure of the Sports Fix location in the Morrisburg arena left municipal staff and council pondering what to do with that space.
While staff made a number of suggestions, council opted for none of the above making a suggestion of their own.
Jamie Scott, supervisor of recreation for South Dundas provided four options for council to consider in a June 1st key information report. The four options included: a skate sharpening and repair shop; dressing room expansion; administrative office for parks and recreation staff; or a rental space for public rental for occasions such as birthday parties or events.
Council didn’t like any of the options, agreeing there wasn’t a need for any of those things. It was pointed out that skate sharpening can be provided by the installation of a skate sharpening machine.
Instead council agreed that Scott should investigate an option for that space presented by his predecessor which was to reconfigure the main entrance to the arena now that the space if vacant.
“The lifespan of those stairs is coming to an end, I don’t want to lose the opportunity to potentially use that as an entrance,” said South Dundas deputy mayor Kirsten Gardner.
Councillor Lloyd Wells agreed saying that using this space would be the easiest way to fix the entrance to the building. “The front entrance to the arena will have to be done,” said Wells.
South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds agreed that more information is needed to determine if the front entrance can be addressed using that space. He also said that the option to make it office space needs to be kept open as well, since the municipality is in the process of trying to hire a facilities manager who will need an office.
Staff will come back to council with a report on reconfiguring the front entrance of the arena using that space.
Note – This story was corrected to clarify that the Sports Fix location in the Morrisburg Arena has closed, but the business is still in operation at another location in South Dundas.