A shift to public control of arenas is being welcomed by a Vernon politician. 
The Greater Vernon Services Committee has decided to directly operate the Multiplex, the Civic Arena and the Priest Valley Arena Jan. 1. “I was pushing for this. I’m very happy with the decision,” said Coun. Jack Gilroy. GVSC notified Recreation Excellence back in February that its contract would come to an end Dec. 31, half way through the upcoming ice season. But it was only last Thursday that GVSC made a decision on how operations will be provided.
Gilroy believes GVSC taking an active role in operations will provide the public with more accountability. “As long as the public gets service, I’m for it,” he said. “I don’t think they were but you can’t blame Recreation Excellence entirely. The funding (from GVSC) wasn’t in place.” Gilroy says people will now be able to go directly to GVSC with concerns, whereas before they weren’t sure if they should go to Recreation Excellence, GVSC or the City of Vernon. “It was frustrating for people,” he said. “When they want something done, they want it done. They don’t want the run-around.” GVSC will hire a general manager, as well as filling other positions. It’s also possible that janitorial may be contracted out and a decision has not been made on how the concession will be run. Cliff Kanester, BX-Swan Lake director, isn’t sure how GVSC will do with management of the arenas. “Local government can’t do it any cheaper than Recreation Excellence and overall, they did a good job,” he said.
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