SANDRA M STANWAY
Brooks Bulletin
City council committee denied a request from the Bandits for a return of about $9,840.
In February the Bandits sought a solution from the city in regards to a conflict of a predicted playoff series and a bull riding event at the Centennial Regional Arena in May.
While the Bandits agreed to play some of their games at the home of the second place team, the city agreed to accommodate their request as well as the PBR, which needed to have sand poured in the arena.
The city agreed to stop the ice plant, lay poly and plywood on the arena surface to protect it from the sand and after the event they would clean the surface and restart the ice plant.
The Bandits agreed to pay $9,840 including to cover costs for the additional staffing, power and restarting the ice plant.
The city paid $27,000 for new materials, storage, staff who would install and remove the decking and temporary flooring and staff costs to keep the operations going until June 2.
The change was as a result of the extended hockey season thanks to the Bandits changing leagues in mid-season.
On Tuesday Bandits president Paul Seaton told council the Bandits agreed to pay for the labour costs but when the team arrived at the arena on the May 13 following the bull riding nothing was happening.
About 30 people put in about three hours of volunteer work and Seaton is questioning the bill as far as the labour.
“It looked like the schedule that was supposed to happen was probably not going to happen,” he said.
The team offered to help so the work would be completed by Tuesday morning as opposed to Wednesday or Thursday, the date that had been scheduled by the city.
“It was assumed that would reduce the labour costs which is what we’d agreed to contribute towards,” Seaton said.
Councillor Bill Prentice told Seaton, “I’m kind of surprised you want to be paid for your time after all the agreements were made. I think some goodwill should be done on your part as well instead of running the city down for everything we do.”
Seaton told council he is disillusioned to see that the rodeo will be a potential conflict next year.
He said the organization has the lowest motivation he has seen with the club.
“It’s purely because I think it believes this council doesn’t place a worth on the Bandits organization and maybe needs to kind of revisit that and decide whether or not it places a worth.
He said while there have been kind comments made by council, “There’s been a fair amount of negativity.
“That’s tough for us to listen to and report back to our board and it’s very non-motivational.”
“And I hate to say this but this is the most difficult council we’ve had to work with in the 24-years I’ve been involved. That’s the reality to me,” said Seaton.
Mayor John Petrie said council knows the team’s worth but they have to make decisions for 15,000 people.
Seaton said the team’s financial situation is insecure.
“Does this team remain in Brooks? That’s our ambition,” said Seaton.
“By joining the BCHL, the value of this team is quadrupled. I don’t know where the team would go, but being the top team at this level in North America, as was proved last year, you can imagine there are people that would buy it.
“A condition might have to be that it stays in Brooks, but we are struggling to financially,” he said.
Petrie explained that the community spent $23 million on the new arena and because of that he believes it elevated the team’s success.
Following their presentation recreation manager Randi McPhillips said the full staff wasn’t there when the Bandits offered to help. They were expected later in the day.
She said head coach Ryan Papaioannou told her the players wanted to return to the ice as soon as possible so their help was accepted. No tasks were done in contravention of the union agreement.
“We had promised the ice would be available by Thursday, May 16th and we were on track. We probably were ahead,” she said.
“My recommendation would be to deny the request,” said CAO Chris Parker.
“Everything that basically we’ve done, we’ve done to assist this organization.
“The issue is, I understand, that they never wanted to pay from the very beginning and that was their premise from the very beginning,” he said.
