Welcome Back 2020/2021

Welcome back for another great year of curling at the Virden Curling Club. To start with, I would like to introduce you to the Current Board of Directors

Cory Barkley

Jay Kinnaird

Brad Hayward

Erin Barkley

Tara Mooney

Tyler Strachan-Vice President

Chris Warkentin

Roxanne Freeman-Secretary

Danny Pierrard

Steve Warkentin – President

Pam Mcleod- Treasurer

Outgoing Director at this time is Robert Bailey. We thank him for his service and dedication to help keep our club running smoothly. If anyone is interested in joining our board of directors, please contact any one of the representatives above and we can give you any details or answer questions as needed. The Board of Directors meets monthly (unless emergencies arise) to discuss the operation and deal with any issues that may arise at the curling club. We work hard to maintain our facility as well as plan for the future. We operate independently of any other facilities and achieve financial stability through our membership fees, fundraising, bar and canteen sales.

We would also like to welcome back our staff and members who contribute to the operation of our facility throughout the year

Darla Hayward – Bar Manager

Thelma Quinn – Canteen Manager. Welcome Thelma to our team!

Geordy Barkley and Company – Ice Crew

Tara Hayward – Office Manager

As a board, our primary goal is to make sure that all people have a place to curl now and in the future. We have 4 main areas that we focus on financially

1. Operating- we will always need money to operate, pay bills/staff and fix any unforeseen items that affect day to day operation.

2. Ice Plant- there are many components that make our ice plant work and we try to maintain that equipment and prevent failures during our peak operating season. Components usually have a life span and we replace in that fashion to avoid catastrophic failures. Unfortunately, these are often expensive repairs and planning for this eliminates financial strain.

3. Building Maintenance- we want to take care of our current facility as to the best of our knowledge we will be here for the foreseeable future. Making sure we have ice is priority one, but we also want to have a nice lobby and lounge to spend our time in. Upgrades and plans are always discussed, and we prioritize as best we can.

4. Legacy Fund - this money has been labelled as Phase II based on recent plans to join onto the arena. AS those plans seem to be put on hold, we still feel it is important to plan for the future and put some money away for a new facility wherever and whenever it may be.

Last season certainly ended on a tough note for us as we had to cancel our Men’s Bonspiel due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. All other events were able to proceed as scheduled including the Annual Ladies Bonspiel. There is a plan in place that we will be having something this fall to ensure we have a 2020 Men’s Bonspiel winner. It may not look the same as past bonspiels as we will need to respect all protocol put in place to protect members and patrons from any exposure to Covid-19. The club will also have a different look to it as we work to abide by Government guidelines and recommendations. Tables and chairs have been arranged and a Covid-19 guideline has been put in place by The Board to protect all Members.

Projects and Purchases Completed in 2020

In the spring of 2020 just as Covid-19 took its grip on us, we found out that we would no longer be able to operate as we had been in regards to liquor permitting. We had to do some investigating and talked with many individuals who helped us figure out what to do on a go forward basis. We ended up Incorporating the Virden Curling Club as a non-profit organization. In our research, we found out that we were incorporated back in the 90’s but it had been lapsed as we no longer thought it was required. Other than a little reporting and a few book-keeping changes, nothing will change for us as VCC

Some of you may have noticed that we did an upgrade to the ice plant condenser. This is the cooling unit up on the roof. We purchased a used one from Reston Arena as they did a full system upgrade and were able to incorporate it into our facility at a reduced cost. The one that we removed had been in service for many years and although it had not malfunctioned, this new one is a good upgrade and will help us realize new efficiencies. ~$15000

Last winter we had applied to a grant program for funds to do some upgrades to our 4 washrooms. We found out this summer that we would be receiving $25000 of money that we would have to match and use towards the bathroom upgrades. So, after a late start, we have moved forward with the project and although it is close to being done, there is some last-minute work still being completed. A small price to pay as we are seeing the completed product now and are happy with our choice to move forward with this plan. We also moved a wall upstairs to help open up some space over by the ladies washroom. ($50000- half of which is grant money from the government)

These were the larger projects but there have been many smaller jobs done to improve the Curling Club as well.

Planned projects for the future

When we received our grant money this summer, a government inspector was on site to walk through our planned renovations. He stated that we should be applying for grant money each winter as there was a good chance that we would receive funds if applied for. Below is a list of several ideas of planned upgrades that we have talked about.

- Bar and Lounge area renovation

- Basement change room upgrade

- New stairway to go down to the ice surface from the waiting room

- Wheelchair ramp for the back door

We are always open to any ideas you may have and if you see something that you feel should be renovated, we can always discuss it and put it on our list if viable.

One comment I would like to make regarding a policy we put in place that there will be no refunds on fees should we be shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We as a board are dedicated to providing a place to curl this winter and will work with any regulations put in place to make sure if at all possible, we are able to curl. Unfortunately, once we turn the plant on and begin getting ready for the season, we begin incurring a lot of costs. We fully expect that we will be able to curl all winter and changes if any will come in the form of how we congregate in the lounge and bar part of the facility. Many Golf Courses and Curling Clubs have adopted this policy, but it will be our focus to keep curling going in our facility. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

Each Board Member volunteers their time to help make decisions and maintain our organization. Please feel free to talk to anyone to discuss things you would like to see or possible changes we could make.

Thank you

The Virden Curling Club

Board of Directors