Bromont WEG got the first good news in long time when they received approval for a 50-year lease of town property last week. Organizers already had a lease from the town, but the new lease will allow them to build the indoor arena that will be used for reining and vaulting. Town council had previously rejected the application until they could approve the building’s architecture, also noting a concern over the lack of a formal business plan.
The lease of the property was vital to organizers who were relying on it to access a $15 million building grant. The grant, part of a federal infrastructure plan from Construct Canada, requires the town’s participation and forms the basis of the funding for the infrastructure required to host WEG.
While definitely a step in the right direction, Bromont organizers are not completely off the hook and are required to submit several revised documents in 45 days, including:
- Architecture: town council would like all building architecture on the property be consistent and would like to see revised proposals reflecting this aesthetic.
- Business plan: town council would like a formal business plan that will outline how the organization will generate revenue to justify the cost of the new building. Questions that need to be answers include: How will they generate revenue? How much revenue will they generate? What grants or subsidies they are relying on? What rental revenue from equestrian and non-equestrian events will they generate? Will the FEQ move there and pay rent?
Interestingly, an FEI spokesperson confirmed that a permanent building is not required to host the indoor competitions.
“Indoor competition and warm-up areas are required to be indoors for both Vaulting and Reining. In theory this could be delivered either using a temporary or permanent structure. For example the warm up arena for Vaulting was under a large marquee in Normandy last year. Given the spectator and sports presentation requirements and expectations, and in particular the size required to accommodate competition and spectator spaces, permanent buildings are a more viable option.”
It was noted, however, that “a permanent building would enable Bromont 2018 to establish a center of excellence in equestrian sports – an enduring legacy.”
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