Mosaic Place and YaraCentre post deficit
People are flocking to Mosaic Place and YaraCentre for a wide range of recreational opportunities, but the facilities are spending more than they are taking in. For the first time Moose Jaw Downtown and Soccer/ Field-House Facilities Inc. (DFFH) has reported a deficit. On August 19, DFFH held its Annual General Meeting and revealed a deficit of $240,315 for 2013. Revenue at Mosaic Place and YaraCentre in 2013 was $2,999,645 while expenses were $3,234,960. Comparatively, DFFH ended with a surplus of $837,300 in 2011 and $517,363 in 2012. The 2012 total is $44,021 higher than was initially reported, due to some adjustments to the final statement. This came about because some revenue from 2012 was initially reported in 2013. The 2012 surplus will be restated. General Manager Scott Clark is frustrated with the result, but says the two facilities have performed well over the past three years. “I’m very proud that after three years we are running a surplus of $1.1 million. Each year leading up to this we have exceeded revenue every single year and exceeded the projections. The expenses we hit on the first two years. We did miss this year but, overall, I feel really good about where we are after three years and what we have achieved,” said Clark. “I’m not happy that we are $240,000 off our budget this year. I’m not happy about that. But overall, with what we have done in the first three years and the fact that we are 1.1 million ahead on the surplus side, that I am proud of.” Expenses were higher than expected, partly due to banked overtime payments and an increase in maintenance costs. Maintenance costs were affected by the record snowfall received in 2013. Clark also noted that about $90,000 of the expenses resulted from a busy November 2012 at Mosaic Place, which was then paid out in 2013. Another large expense included repairing the turf at YaraCentre. Clark says that came about when the company that installed the turf was invited to tour the facility. They determined that the turf looked like it had five or six years of wear and tear, rather than the three years of use it had actually incurred. Clark added that they will now schedule this maintenance every three years. Councillor Patrick Boyle said there is silver lining to the expense, noting that it means the turf is getting a lot of use. Clark said that revenue suffered as a result of there being no multi-day ticketed events in 2013. Comparatively, 2012 saw Mosaic Place host the Capital One Canada Cup of Curling and the Telus Cup in 2014. Of course, the facility is set to host the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in February. Revenue also suffered as the result of lower attendance at Warriors games and the lack of WHL playoff hockey being hosted at Mosaic Place. As a result, beverage and food sales decreased. “The biggest driver on the year for Mosaic Place is A—concerts, B—multi-day ticketed events, and C— Warriors playoff hockey. In 2013 we had success with A, but of course we had no multi-day ticketed events and we had no Warriors playoff hockey. That certainly impacted our bottom line on the revenue side.” Mosaic Place will close out 2014 with several major concerts, including Alan Jackson on September 18, Brad Paisley on October 11, the Doobie Brothers on October 19, and John Fogerty on November 20. It was also noted that the city’s operating grant continues to decrease on an annual basis, down to $448,363 in 2014. That is a 64.6 per cent decrease from $1,268,082 in 2011.