The North Cariboo Joint Planning Committee and the Quesnel Kangaroos Senior Men’s hockey club have reached a one year agreement to bridge the team’s move to the new arena.
The Committee was originally asking for a flat fee of $13,200 dollars to use the ice at the new West Fraser Centre but has now accepted the club’s offer of 12 thousand dollars.
The team will also get to keep it’s advertising dollars for the first year.
Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson explains why he thinks this transitional agreement makes sense…
“We don’t know what the new arena is going to do in attracting people to see the games and by restoring the practice time as part of the fee it gives the Kangaroos the ability to field the best team possible in the new arena, and again through a higher level of hockey, get more bums in the seats in the arena and we can start looking past that transition year.”
Simpson says once they get a better idea of the impact of the new arena they can then start looking at a longer term agreement with the Kangaroos.
He adds that this is not a net cost to Joint Planning as it is foregone revenue that they are setting aside for one year.