BARRHEAD- Barrhead residents and not-for-profit organizations hoping to rent the town's bouncy house will have to continue to look elsewhere.
That was the decision Town of Barrhead councillors made during their Aug. 10 meeting.
Coun. Ty Assaf brought up the possibility that they take a second look at the municipality's Recreation Facility Rentals and Rates policy (Policy 72-02).
The motion was defeated. Coun. Assaf and Coun. Dausen Kluin cast the only votes in favour.
Assaf said he was shocked to learn that it cost the Barrhead Main Street Merchants' Association $1,100 to rent a bouncy house for its Aug. 7 Block Party event that it hosted in conjunction with the Blue Heron Support Services Association.
"They approached the town but were told our bouncy house could not leave the Agrena grounds. Is it because of insurance and potential liability? I hate to see that money leave the community," he said, adding that the association ultimately rented a bouncy house from an Edmonton vendor.
Chief administrative officer Edward LeBlanc said the recreation department requested that the use of the bouncy house be restricted to the Agrena grounds, specifically inside the Agrena, because they were afraid of potential damage or abuse.
"But it is council policy, so you can always ask the administration to revisit the policy," he said.
Coun. Don Smith had his concerns about allowing residents or organizations to rent the bouncy house unless they put appropriate controls on its use.
"If we were to allow something like this, our manpower would have to go with it, that it could not go on bare asphalt, et cetera," he said.
Smith added even if such controls were put in place, he would be wary of changing the policy.
"Some things just need to be owned and operated by the town," he said.
Coun. Leslie Penny agreed, noting if they were to open up the policy and allow the rental of the bouncy house, they would be opening a door that she is not sure should be opened.
Coun. Rod Klumph interjected that if they did decide to allow residents and/or organizations to rent the bouncy house out, they would need to ensure they did it at a price that makes sense.
"We would have to start charging a fee that included replacement of the equipment, which would mean the revamping of our whole fee structure," he said. "If we are going to start renting out our equipment, then we need to start acting like a rental company. My opinion is to let it be."
Mayor Dave McKenzie and Smith agreed with Klumph and Penny, saying that they are not sure if they wanted to reopen that door.
In 2018, the council spent considerable time debating how much or whether or not they should rent out tables and chairs over multiple meetings. In the end, councillors decided to allow the rental of the items.
Coun. Shelley Oswald added she did not believe the municipality should be in the equipment rental business, saying it is alright to have items for their own use exclusively.
"I don't think we want to be in the position of having to say yes to one group while denying another. And by the time you factor in paying staff to deliver, set up and pick up the equipment, how viable is it going to be for a group?" she asked.
Coun. Assaf said he realizes that the municipality would have to increase the rental rate of the bouncy house to cover the costs of lending it to organizations, noting he believes the current bouncy house rate of $288 an hour is already too restrictive for most not-for-profit organizations.
"I am not saying, just give it to them. Or that we would rent it to a group without conditions," he said. "They would have a checklist or guidelines to follow. I am saying we should look into it. We might be able to rent it out for $500 a day and help out the organizations in our community."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
