For Yvon Chiasson, mayor of the Town of Saint-Zotique, it's important to get things right when it comes to the Centre sportif Soulanges. That's why he doesn't think his municipal council will be in a position to decide on Saint-Polycarpe's application before the January 1 deadline. 

Let's not forget that the days of the sports facility are numbered if the costs of operating and maintaining the arena are not shared equitably among the municipalities that use it.

Earlier in 2023, the Municipality of Saint-Polycarpe issued a final ultimatum to neighboring municipalities to save the sports facility from final demise. 

In the region, citizens from Saint-Zotique, Coteau-du-Lac, Les Coteaux, Rivière-Beaudette, Saint-Clet, Saint-Télesphore, Sainte-Marthe, Très-Saint-Rédempteur and Sainte-Justine-de-Newton use the facility on a daily basis for field hockey, free skating and figure skating.

Some elected officials are reluctant 

In Saint-Zotique, according to the latest figures obtained by Mayor Yvon Chiasson, 118 local children go to the Saint-Polycarpe arena on a regular basis.

"We don't know how many adults also go there to play field hockey in a garage league. We don't have that data. Obviously, we don't want to close the sports facility, because we don't have the financial means to afford one. At the same time, according to Saint-Polycarpe's calculations, in 20 years, the arena's operating and maintenance costs will have cost us $3 million. That's a big investment for us to make in a neighboring municipality. That's why some councillors are reluctant to agree," he explains. 

The mayor acknowledges that a decision will have to be made. If Saint-Zotique decides to embark on the project, it will have to pay the sum of $36,000 annually until 2027 for arena management fees. This represents a maximum of $35 per gate located on municipal territory. Thereafter, the annual bill will rise to $136,000 due to the addition of loan repayment expenses. 

"We're in the middle of preparing the 2024 budget and we'll have to be very rigorous in tightening our belts. Certain services to citizens could be cut due to inflation and the rising cost of living, and we would be investing $36,000 elsewhere than on our territory?That's what's making some councillors uneasy," he adds. 

Is owning the arena a solution? 

Mr. Chiasson points out that if the Ville de Saint-Zotique, along with the nine other towns involved in the project, were to become owners of the arena through a régie, an organization that would manage it, it would no doubt be easier to convince municipal council members to invest in its preservation. 

"The ten communities would own the building and Saint-Polycarpe would keep the land.If that's the case, we could then approach certain companies in the region to try and conclude partnership agreements with them in exchange for visibility. This would help us reduce our operating and maintenance costs for this infrastructure." 

Consulting the public 

Even if the councillors don't all agree on the preferred scenario, they do agree on one thing.

"We don't want the arena to close or be the reason it closes.We want to maintain it. On the other hand, we want to try to find a way to consult our population. Perhaps by organizing a mini-referendum on the subject? We're thinking about it.We want to take our time to do things right.That's why I'm pretty sure we won't have an answer by January 1 as we'd hoped."

To read also

Les Coteaux wants to think it through before making a decision on the Centre sportif Soulanges project