Rec centre in Neepawa up for review

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This article was published 08/12/2022 (1148 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Plans are moving forward to ensure the Yellowhead Community Recreation Centre in Neepawa continues to serve the town’s growing population in a sustainable fashion.

As the Sun previously reported, on Nov. 15, the province announced that the town of Neepawa, located 74 kilometres northeast of Brandon, along with surrounding rural municipalities of Rosedale, North Cypress-Langford and the municipality of Glenella-Lansdowne, have been granted funding to hire an auditing firm to conduct an operations review of the recreation centre.

The town filed the application for the funding as part of Manitoba’s 2022-23 Service Delivery Improvement program. Deloitte, an auditing and financial review company, will be paid by the province to conduct the review.

Representatives from Deloitte met on Nov. 28 with representatives from both the town and the Yellowhead Community Recreational Centre’s board, said Colleen Synchyshyn, chief administrative officer for Neepawa.

The Sun requested an interview with Deloitte but was told the company wasn’t able to speak on the review.

“It’s going to be the Yellowhead board that’s going to provide the real information that’s going to help this review continue.”

Wayne Jacobsen, the newly elected president of the board of directors for the rec centre, is no stranger to running it. He served on the board around 20 years ago and stepped into his new role last month.

The Yellowhead facility plays a vital part in delivering recreation services to Neepawa and the surrounding communities, Jacobsen said. From its ice rink, which is used by hockey teams, figure skaters and curlers, to its attached hall where gymnastics are held, it is always a busy place.

But it’s not just sports fans and athletes that use the Yellowhead.

“There’s special events. In the summertime, the Filipino community holds their heritage celebration in the hall. They had … approximately 3,000 people engaged in last year’s event,” Jacobsen said.

Other events like circuses and Canada Day celebrations are often held at the venue, as well.

The facility’s operations review, which Jacobsen said will start in mid-December and probably wrap up around March, will assist in discovering how the Yellowhead can even better serve the community.

“The most important thing is, what are we doing right? And what are we doing, maybe not wrong, but not the best, and where can we improve our operations?” Jacobsen said.

Sometime in the future, whether it’s 10 or 20 years from now, the facility’s ice rink will need to be replaced, he added, and it’s never too early to start preparing for the future.

“You don’t get to 20 years down the road and go, ‘Oh, our rink is broken, we need to replace it.’ You need to have a long-term strategic plan as to what that’s going to look like.”

The review will also shed some much-needed light on how the Yellowhead is operated, and which groups are involved in that.

“So often people think that it’s Neepawa’s problem, but … this facility is so unique to our entire area that it’s everyone’s. It’s in the best interest for everyone to have a plan for down the road.”

Trish Fraser, chief administrative officer for North Cypress-Langford, agreed, saying the facility serves the RM as well.

“Most of our residents from the northern part of the RM use the facility,” she said.

The RM of North Cypress-Langford pays a grant to the Yellowhead board every year that subsidizes the rates its residents pay when they use the venue. Last year, Fraser said the grant amounted to $20,000, which the RM budgets for every year.

The Sun contacted the RM of Rosedale, but chief administrative officer Kara Sylvester said she was unable to speak about the importance of the rec facility to people in the community. The municipality of Glenella-Lansdowne did not respond to the Sun’s request for a comment.

Jacobsen hopes the operations review will highlight areas where the facility could bring in more capital. Currently, it’s not being used to it’s “viable potential,” he said.

In the short amount of time he’s been back on the board, Jacobsen said, the facility’s long-term debt has decreased “significantly.” This is something he hopes the review will ensure continues.

“The Yellowhead facility as a whole has been making money along the way. Now, the question is are there areas that we could reduce costs and are there areas that we could garner more income?”

Big-picture thinking for the future of the facility is integral, he added. His grandchildren, ages two and four, and residents in the town and outlying areas require a facility that will meet the needs of a growing, dynamic community, he said.

“I may never be around to see what that looks like, but you hope you start the ball rolling in the right direction down the hill.”

» mleybourne@brandonsun.com

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