A little TLC can go a long way. At least, this is how councillor Marty Bishop feels about the Meadow Lake Civic Centre an the need to properly maintain the facility on an ongoing basis. “This past October, November, as well as a few dates in December, I worked at the Meadow Lake Civic Centre doing several gigs there,” Bishop told his peers during the council enquiries portion of Monday’s (Jan. 9) regular council meeting. Bishop, who owns and operates a local DJ service/audio business, said he is concerned about the state of disrepair the building is currently in. “I realize we’re not going to put a pile of money into a building that, in a few years, we’re going to take down,” he added. “That’s not good business, but there’s a difference between renovation and maintenance. I’ve seen a lot of things there that concern me.”

One concern in particular, Bishop said, is the packing tape being used to affix a door hinge to one of the stalls in the men’s bathroom. “It’s been like that for at least two months,” he said. “Also, the door couldn’t be locked and, if you did manage to finally get it locked, you have a tough time getting it open again. I’m wondering if the folks who are cleaning that building, our people, if they’re not bringing these things to the attention of our recreation manager. Maybe they’re not telling him what needs to be done. Things like that need to be looked at.” Bishop said there were also two occasions in recent months when he arrived around the same time as the people who rented the building only to discover the civic centre was a mess. “I know we don’t have people to look after that now,” he said. “The city does it, and, yes, we are tied up in terms of time constraints, but, as I was setting up my stuff, the people were mopping the floor by hand. In the past I’ve been there and seen people use a power squeegee. When I mentioned this, they told me it doesn’t work and it’s just as easy for them to do it by hand. Well, one person with a power squeegee opposed to three people with mops does make a difference.”

Bishop then asked the big question. “Are we intentionally letting it go?” he remarked. “We need that building until the new one is ready to go, and it’s going to be anywhere from three to five years before that arena or events centre is completed. Of course we don’t want to put a gazillion bucks into this place because that doesn’t make any sense. As a businessperson, I realize that. But, you still need to maintain it.”

In response to Bishop’s concerns, mayor Merlin Seymour suggested the matter be brought to the attention of the parks and recreation manager. “Rather than pick apart all the things that need to be done, maybe this is something that should be brought to the attention of our recreation manager and maybe the human resources side of things,” he said. “Are we doing what we’re supposed to be doing? If not, why aren’t we?” Bishop said the examples he gave were only a small example of the concerns he has. “I can keep going,” he said. Seymour simply reiterated the need to have administration look into the situation. “Your comment about ‘are we just letting it go by the wayside?’, I don’t think that’s fair,” he said. Bishop disagreed. “It may not be fair Mr. Mayor, but I’ve spent an awful lot of time in that building – more time than anyone here put together – and the people who come to me, who talk to me, that’s the question they are asking me,” he remarked. “That is the question I’m asking you. I’m not blaming anybody, I am just transferring that question.” With that, Seymour again said administration will check in with parks and recreation to see what’s happening. “I’m not in the position nor do I want to be to start picking on people for not doing their jobs right,” he said. “That’s what the managers are for.”