Heather Wright/The Independent

After four years of planning, the cost of the outdoor ice rink proposed by the Huron Shores Optimist now
sits around $2.3 million. And the frustrations over delays and costs is building.

The Huron Shores Optimists came to Plympton-Wyoming council March 26 to talk about the fundraising
plan for the project. But a letter sent by the club raised a number of frustrations.

The Camlachie service club first floated the idea of an outdoor ice rink – at a cost of $400,000 – in July
2021.

The concept was approved in principle in 2022.

In 2023, the club laid out its formal and much larger $1.6 million plan including a 60 by 120 refrigerated
concrete slab and office, changing rooms, a washroom facility, a viewing area, a confection area and it
will be covered during the months of December till March.

The outdoor rink will be built between the ball diamonds, museum and the cenotaph. The location also
caused tensions.

In August 2024, the town and the service club formed a working group to start dealing with some of the
questions raised by municipal councillors including the actual cost, the exact location and how it would be paid.

In September 2024, council gave administration approval to apply for a Community Sport and
Recreation Infrastructure Fund grant from the province.

An estimate to build the facility was needed, and Wellington Builders provided one stating it would take
nearly $2.6 million to complete the job. Town administrators placed the total cost at $2.3 million in the
grant proposal.

If Plympton-Wyoming gets the grant, it could cover half of the cost of construction.

But with the provincial election, the applications for the Recreation Fund have been on hold, with town
staff unsure when the province will make a decision.

When the Huron Shore Optimists came to council to talk about how the club planned to raise its share
of the costs, part of their written submission was a letter designed to provide the club’s prospective. The
letter, which was approved by the club’s board but contained no signatures, said CAO Adam Sobanski
was highlighting the risks of the project in an “unbalanced manner.

“We are two years down the road, and frustrations are building through a process that we believe
provides too much attention to anonymous negative voices. We respect the need for the town to engage
in its due diligence, but the painfully slow progress is destroying our momentum and causing some of the
most optimistic Optimists to lose faith,” the letter said.

The board said “coffee shop chatter from a vocal minority” appears to be holding the plan back and the
club has never been able to address some of the concerns of the community, including the rising costs.

The service club says the town’s “lukewarm” support has caused delays and the $2.3 million cost
estimate is “likely overstated as it was developed by town staff driven by the desire to be conservative.”

The board in the letter states it appears there are two alternatives, not build this project in Camlachie or
build another facility without the help of the Optimists. “This proposed multi-use facility is the right project for our community and it is long overdue.”

The letter also took aim at a suggestion by Sobanski that the club should raise 75 per cent of their share
of the project instead of 50 per cent.

They said that could delay the project further and put the grant – if it is approved – in jeopardy.
Generally, the province gives a timeline to complete a project when a grant is approved.

The club also said it would have to take a “good hard look” at the project if the grant was not approved.

Several councillors, including Alex Boughen, voiced their support for more recreation opportunities in
Camlachie, where the population is growing. Several voiced their support for the ice pad project
specifically.

But council was divided on how much money the service club should have to raise. Mike Vasey was
one councillor promoting the 75 per cent funding. Vasey said he understands the groups enthusiasm to
get going but “I’m dealing with every taxpayer’s money, not just the Optimists.”

Councillor Bob Woolvett also voiced his support for the project and his disappointment with the tone of
the Optimists letter.

“We’re trying to get this thing moving just as well as you guys are” he said.

Woolvett said he didn’t weigh in on how much needed to be raised in advance “because it all might
come to an end anyways, if we don’t get the big grant,” he said.

At one point in the meeting, there was a vote to reconsider the amount the Optimists would have to
raise, now likely to be $500,000 before the project starts, but there was not enough council support to
talk about the issue during the meeting.

Sobanski and several other councillors suggested the idea could be revisited after the town finds out if it
receives the grant.

Meantime council received the service club’s fundraising plan which includes draws, donations and
possibly a buy-a-brick campaign. The plan will become part of an agreement between the service club and the town if the project moves ahead.