PRESS RELEASES

Mercury rising - Posted on 2008-04-18

Mercury rising
Civic Centre goes public with fundraising campaign

By NEVILLE CRABBE
sports@stcroixcourier.ca

ST. STEPHEN – “Make it happen” is the credo of the Charlotte County Civic Centre committee and on Wednesday, at St. Stephen Elementary School, the group raising money for a modern, multi-purpose recreational facility in St. Stephen came one step closer to its goal.
Tasked with raising $3.5 million from the community, an amount that would trigger funding from federal and provincial governments, committee members announced that $1.2 million has been pledged so far from businesses and individuals.
Roughly half their goal, the committee has concluded the quiet component of its fundraising, the so-called “big-asks,” and will turn to the public for broad-based support of the $15-million project. Plans call for the centre to include an arena, indoor pool, walking track and retail space.
Speaking to reporters, campaign co-chair Peter Heelis said all the committee’s work since early 2005, has built up to this point.
“What we see is that we’re starting up. We see this as the starting point from which we can build momentum over the next six to eight months,” said Heelis.
He explained that although the committee has received substantial support to this point, true success will be gauged by the amount of local people who come forward with personal commitments.
“Those donations will make this project, they will make it a community project, no doubt about it,” said Heelis.
In terms of money already received, no donation has equaled that of Robert Quartermain. The St. Stephen native, now president of Silver Standard Resources, cut a cheque to the Charlotte County Civic Centre for $172,724. With mineral holdings in 17-countries containing an esitmated1.4-billion ounces, Quartermain’s company controls the largest in-ground silver resource of any publicly traded company in the world.
“I believe that what (Quartermain) wanted to do was have his family name carried forward in this community and the ice surface will now be named after the Quartermain family,” said honorary committee chair David Ganong who initiated contact with Quartermain through connections at the University of New Brunswick.
Ganong, along with his wife and co-chair Diane, approached Quartermain to be part of the honorary committee. Within hours of contact, the mineral magnate replied with a hefty donation, but, due to time constraints, declined a position on the committee.
The public launch was an opportunity for another major stakeholder, the town of St. Stephen, to reaffirm its commitment to the project. In August, 2007, after what he called an agonizing decision-making process, Mayor Allan Gillmor and Council pledged $2.1 million to the civic centre based on the town’s ability to borrow the funds.
On Wednesday he heralded the project as part of the solution to the area’s economic woes.

“Charlotte County is suffering from a steady erosion of its most precious resource; its people,” said the Mayor.
Gillmor said that the outflow has created a situation that makes St. Stephen unattractive to newcomers.
“We lack a central focus… in short, we lack a civic centre,” said Gillmor, calling the project a beacon for the future of the town.
Despite all the good news Wednesday, some questions remain unanswered about the project, namely its affect on municipal tax rates in St. Stephen. Asked what the impact of the $15 million project might be, Committee Chairman Richard Fulton was straightforward.
“Is there a concrete answer? The answer would be no at this point,” said Fulton.
But he said the cost of doing nothing could be even greater to St. Stephen taxpayers.
“I think another important question is, what would not building a civic centre do to our taxes?” he said.
With a decreasing tax base and a required level of basic services, not doing something to stimulate the local economy could force taxes up as well, said Fulton.
Woodstock, a similar sized border community that completed a $7.2 million civic centre in 1995, found that taxes in that town were impacted by 16 cents for every $100 of assessed value. Considering that the town’s dilapidated arena and aging pool were costing taxpayers five cents for every $100 of assessed value, their facility resulted in a net increase of 11 cents per $100.
Though Wednesday’s announcement was meant to raise the profile of the project in the community, officials were quick to say that much work remained before construction of the building.
“I wish we were breaking ground for the new civic centre today,” said Fulton, “But the reality is that it may be four or five years before we gather for that great occasion.”
Currently, organizers are shooting for 2012 as the anticipated opening date. In the meantime six wooden thermometers with a red line between 30 and 40 per cent will be posted across Charlotte County, four in St. Stephen and one each in St. Andrews and St. George to remind people where the project stands.