New prez for rec centre board

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By Roger Newman
Friday April 28, 2006

Interlake Spectator — Bonnie Dykes is the new president of the Winnipeg Beach Recreation Centre.
Dykes stepped into the top job when the rec centre board held elections Monday night. A 30-year town resident, she is vice-president of the Winnipeg Beach mixed golf group and earlier served as president of the beach recreation commission.
Although a regular volunteer for the rec centre, she is new to the board like six of the nine incoming members. The newcomers are Lisa Boyer, vice-president; Gail Torfason, secretary; and directors Rochelle Hykawy, Bob Campbell and Bernice Binkley.
Hold-overs are Frank Figler, now past president; Amanda Mosher, treasurer; and Harry Alberg.
Dykes said in an interview that she agreed to sit on the board because she wants to see an overhaul of recreation activity and spending at Winnipeg Beach. She said duplication must be eliminated and consolidation is needed because various recreation and special events organizations are currently spending $158,800 a year.
“I think that is a lot of money for a town our size,” she said.

“I believe all the recreation and events groups should be working together instead of on their own. It doesn’t make much sense for the rec centre to bring in a band if the town has invited one for the same night.”
Dykes also said one of her priorities is to ensure that the rec centre will become a multi-use facility.
“There is not much income when we only have one hockey team and one figure skating club,” she said, adding the new board will investigate additional uses.
The new president made her public debut Tuesday night when she introduced herself to town council. After the formalities, she wanted to know how soon the centre can access this year's $10,000 grant from the town.
Mayor Don Pepe advised her that there is a process to follow.
He said the centre has to produce a business plan with proposed expenditures before community grants start flowing from tax money collected in June.
Pepe also said he wants to see good communication between the centre board and council, something that has sometimes been a trouble spot in the past.
“We are not here to order you, but we are here to work together and we want you to talk to us,” Pepe said, noting that the town has spent $400,000 on the rec centre in the last 10 years and additionally owns the land and arena building.
Council will appoint a non-voting member to the centre board, a requirement of the Manitoba Municipal Act. The board will meet the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the centre.
In other business, Coun. Daryl Carry told council that a combined town-provincial government committee will meet soon to consider three proposals for future use of the Watertower building in the provincial park.
The building, unused for at least a decade, will likely require $200,000 for mould repairs before it can be occupied again.