By Barb McKay

Rental rates for the new Davidson Centre gymnasium have been hiked to bring in enough revenue to operate the facility.

Kincardine’s recreation director Karen Kieffer and recreation policy chair Ken Craig provided a revised list of rates to Kincardine council at its meeting last Wednesday. Council turned down rates proposed at the Oct. 5 meeting because they were deemed to be too low. Those rates were introduced at $10 per hour for one-third of the gym, $15 per hour for two-thirds of the gym and $17 per hour for the entire gym, not including HST.

The new approved rental rates will be $15 per hour for one-third of the gym, $30 per hour for two-thirds of the gym and $43 per hour for the whole gym (same as the Davidson Centre hall). The rates include HST.

The revised rates are expected to generate roughly $70,000 in revenue for the municipality in 2012. It costs approximately $90,000 per year to operate the facility.

“Before we were under-cutting ourselves,” Craig said. “I think this is a good place to be.”

Craig said work on the gym is on schedule. Last week painter tape was removed from the gym floor for lines for basketball, volleyball and pickle ball courts. Last week, the track was in the process of being installed.

“It looks fabulous,” Craig said.

Kieffer and Craig are looking at the possibility of setting aside wall space in the Davidson Centre to rent for billboards to generate additional revenue for the facility.