A PROJECTED loss of $145,000 has been forecast for the council-owned Queanbeyan Indoor Sports Centre due to lack of patronage, while the Karabar-based privately operated Queanbeyan District Basketball Association had been turning away outside requests for hire due to meeting maximum capacity.
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While the succesful privately owned association would prefer a new centre in a new location to be built, council has agreed to seek funding to revamp their own facility.
At the December meeting of council, the future of the QISC, the council-owned facility, was discussed after a motion addressed ways to combat the deficit and increase community engagement with the indoor centre.
Three options were presented including the introduction of a program coordinator, purchase of new equipment, refurbishment of the existing courts, or the expansion of the facility from two courts to four.
Councillors Kenrick Winchester and Brian Brown were opposed to the motion and requested a deferral on any decision, citing the desires of both netball and basketball in finding a new, and feasible, home for their clubs.
However a majority of councillors including the mayor agreed to go ahead with seeking grant funding for an upgrade, despite revelations the facility was rushed when it was built, and was never expected to be profitable.
"We were always conscious that a two-court facility was not going to be viable," Cr Overall said.
QDBA president Jan Browne said she had campaigned endlessly for a new home since 2006.
"With the expansion of Queanbeyan's population, our facility will not meet the needs of the city in due course," Browne wrote in a letter dated June, 2006.
"Council are looking at establishing an indoor sports and multi-purpose facility for the commercial-based sports of indoor cricket, netball and volleyball. Would it be feasible to incorporate an additional indoor facility for basketball alongside this proposed centre?," the letter read.
Over the years, other letters addressed to the incumbent council have requested a new site be found and developed into a four-court indoor facility that could house not only basketball, but netball, indoor soccer, cricket, volleyball and hockey.
The current facility the QDBA shares with the YMCA has one full-sized court, and is struggling to keep up with demand as an estimated 1000-1200 patrons use it each week. In stark contrast, the QISC is struggling to attract a clientele base outside of it's 150-180 regular weekly attendees, according to council documents.
Cr Overall said he could not support further stalling or deliberation as council had committed to moving ahead in securing funding from the National Stronger Regions Grant Scheme. A majority of councillors agreed and the motion for federal funding for the council-owned facility was passed.
