Council approves new lease agreement with School Board

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The lease agreement between the Town of Saugeen Shores and Saugeen District Secondary School (SDSS) regarding the change rooms and utilities at the adjacent pool facility has expired.

Mike Myatt, Community Services Director for the Town, at the recent Council meeting said that the utilities agreement extension  will see the most significant increase from $3,166 to $4,000 month (+HST) or $11,000 per year, while the change-room lease will also increase from $9,450 to $11,000 (+HST) per year or $1,620.

Councilor Diane Huber said that she had concerns relating to the substantial increase and, if the agreements were approved, where it would leave the incoming town council at election time.  "If we agree to this, we are committing this funding for a new council.  Also, where does that leave the discussions for a new pool facility?"

Myatt, explained that the new agreements are an extension that will run until December 31, 2011 and will be the first increase in 10 years, which in reality is a 2.5% to 3% increase per year over that period.

The extension only runs until 2011 (with a one-year extension option) as the Blue Water District School Board  (BWDSB) recently passed a resolution to move forward with renovations to SDSS, which may, in turn, impact the Town's decision to move forward with a new pool facility.

In earlier consultations and public forums regarding  a new multi-use facility, the consulting planners of Monteith Brown, set out in their study that one option for the Town would be to consider an expansion/upgrading of the current pool at SDSS, if the school board decided to go ahead with major renovations to SDSS.

BWDSB has made an application to the province for approximately $3 million to go ahead with the renovations to the high school beginning in 2011 through to the summer of 2012. 

Council approved that the two agreements be entered into with BWDSB.

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Sunday, July 04, 2010