Stephanie McFarlane thinks she probably hugged more people on Friday than any other day in her life. McFarlane is the executive director of the Nutrien Civic Centre (NCC) in Sussex, N.B. She told her staff and then the general public on Thursday the facility would have to close Saturday because she can’t make payroll. “I have cried a lot. I have accepted a lot of hugs,” said McFarlane on Friday. Over 50 per cent of revenue for the pool, gym and fitness facilities comes from memberships, she said. The rest comes from their funding partner, the Kings Regional Service Commission (KRSC), who has a contract with the Town of Sussex and the neighbouring rural communities of Butternut Valley Rural Community, Valley Waters and the District of Kings. McFarlane said money comes from those municipalities through the commission, and she receives $150,000 four times a year. The centre received their first quarterly payment in full, but were a little over $13,000 short for the second quarter. Only $25,000 was received for the third quarterly payment in July. ”We planned to have our quarterly payment delivered in July and that didn’t happen and here we are,” said McFarlane. “We are closing tomorrow as it stands right now. Because as I said I’m not meeting payroll, and I would never ask 40 people to volunteer their time.” Lenora Murray’s daughter used to swim competitively at the pool. “It’s a sad day for Sussex. It needs to stay open,” said Murray. The closure would be devastating for Ivan Graham who uses the walking track almost daily. “I have Parkinson’s and my neurologist told me the very best thing I could do is walk for half an hour five times a week. But with the heat and in the wintertime with the ice and snow and cold temperatures, this is the only place I can walk,” said Graham. “So, this is not a nice idea, this is survival.” In a statement sent Thursday, Sussex Mayor Marc Thorne had some strong criticism for two of the neighbouring communities that provide funding to the centre. Thorne said he met directly with the province in April and raised concerns about what he called “the failure” of civic partners to meet their financial commitments for shared recreational services. “While Butternut Valley has recently begun making contributions, the financial commitments of both Butternut Valley and Valley Waters toward shared recreational services remain largely unmet for a year and a half,” said Thorne in his statement. “Despite the Province having been made fully aware of the seriousness of the situation throughout this period, effective intervention has not occurred.” CTV News reached out to the municipalities of Butternut Valley and Valley Waters for reaction to Thorne’s comments. Butternut Valley Mayor Alan Brown said they support the centre through mandated payments as determined by the KRSC. “We are not in arrears with regards to the NCC. We are not in the position to comment on what other municipalities are doing or not doing nor do we think anyone from other municipalities should be disparaging other municipalities in a blame game,” said Brown in a statement to CTV News. Brown said the KRSC moved from quarterly billing to monthly billing at the start of the third quarter in July and he believes the NCC was unaware of this. “I imagine that would be a bit of a surprise for them,” said Brown. “Was there any communication between the NCC and the KRSC with regards to this?” CTV News did not hear back from Valley Waters, but the municipality made a public statement on Thursday. Valley Waters Mayor Randy McKnight said fees charged to users have not come close to covering the operating costs and the NCC has run significant losses year after year. “A facility that cannot approach cost recovery from its own users over a sustained period is providing important evidence about the diminished level of demand for it,” said McKnight. “However difficult it is for those directly affected, the board’s decision to close is, in our respectful view, the correct and reasonable course.” For McFarlane and her staff, which she calls a family, the facility is much more than a pool. They also provide fitness classes and partners with Horizon Health Network for a variety of health and rehabilitation related activities. “Nobody wants to see this facility closed. The value that it provides to members and the public at large is just immeasurable in my opinion,” said McFarlane. While the doors will close to members Saturday, the daycare will stay open in August and some aquatic leadership courses and swimming lessons will still be run by volunteers. McFarlane will make sure someone will be in the building because she doesn’t want to close the day camp for kids with just a few weeks left in summer. But after that, she really doesn’t know what the future holds. “We need a long-term sustainable plan that doesn’t involve constantly asking municipalities for more money,” said McFarlane. She shoulders the blame for the facility closing and feels for her staff and of course the loyal members, many of whom were the ones hugging McFarlane on Friday. “They come here every day,” she said. “They stop being members and start being a part of our family. And if somebody doesn’t show up, you notice.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
