The Prince Albert Golf and Curling Centre in action. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Susan McNeil

Budget woes

Golf and curling centre faces grim season without financial boost

Dec 13, 2024 | 10:23 AM

Faced with rising costs of doing business and fluctuating demand at The Rock & Iron sports bar and restaurant, the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Centre is asking the city for some help.

Trish Bibby, a member of the non-profit group that runs the clubhouse/curling facility at the Cook Municipal Golf Course, told city council yesterday they would like a funding boost of $117,000.

“We were here this evening to share that curling revenue alone is not enough to sustain the facility,” said Bibby. She and fellow board members were at the External Agencies Review presentations at city hall on Wednesday evening, the first of multiple budget meetings.

While the idea of closure has been mentioned by the Centre’s board, they will be doing what they can to avoid it.

“If we don’t get the full amount, things are going to be mighty tight this year. I know there has been talk of some drastic measures but I’m not sure if those will come to fruition or not,” she said.

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First, they have a plan to do some intensive fundraising and are open to the idea of corporate sponsorship.

The organization’s troubles began during COVID. In 2020, they hosted an event for Curling Canada and made a profit that year of about $70,000.

That quickly changed into two years of loss in 2021 and 2022, which totaled about $100,000 and last year, they hosted national curling events again and made a profit.

The real issue, however, is coming from increased operating costs. The price of food for the restaurant has jumped 24 per cent and utilities have increased 20 per cent.

Minimum wage has also gone up, albeit much more slowly.

Curling revenue in 2024 was $154,000 and expenses are just under $260,000.

In their presentation, the Golf and Curling Centre pointed out that the city as a whole benefits from their presence.

For instance, when they host the Saskatchewan U18 Provincial Curling Championship starting on December 17, the economic impact reaches over $2 million. That number grows even more when hosting a national championship.

Because the presentation was one of several and is just the start of budget talks, no decision will be made for several weeks at least.

The main round of budget meetings starts on January 8, 9 and 10th.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: @susanmcneil.bsky.social