It was standing room only at the LeRoy community hall on August 22.
The LeRoy Leisureland Regional Park Association held its annual general meeting that evening and announced to the community its plans to sell the park.
The trouble was, the media had already released the news. A good many people from the Town of LeRoy and its neighbouring communities that attended the meeting seemed upset, angry or confused at being left in the dark.
After a review by Dave Moore (Meyers Norris Penny LLP) of the financial statements for the years 2010 and 2011, board member and treasurer Leona Wakelam presented the information about the sale on behalf of the association.
"What the board has been facing, as you have heard from the financials," Wakelam said, "is that our operations are losing a lot of money.
"As of July 31, 2012, we are operationally short $16,000. We have not paid off the $40,000 that was due (advance of long-term debt) June 1, and our mortgage still sits at $180,000."
Attached to the annual report was a list with figures in brackets for every year from 2001 up to 2011. These figures represent the excess expenses over revenue the park has incurred for a total of $627,540.
Wakelam talked in detail about the many factors the board had had to take into consideration before making the final decision to sell.
It will reportedly be the first time a regional park in Saskatchewan has been sold.
"Do we have anything to say about the sale," asked one of the concerned citizens, "Or is it a done deal already?"
Others voiced accusations that the board had not been operating according to proper legislation, and a motion was made to look into the proper procedure from the Regional Park Association on board member terms and nominations. The other major question of concern to all citizens was what would become of the park once it was sold.
"The act of sale states that the park must remain as is or better," Wakelam said. "It has to remain a nine-hole golf course, it has to have a pool, it has to have the minimum campsites we have right now, or more."
In all, it was a difficult pill to administer, but Wakelam remained focused on trying to make the community understand why the sale was the only solution that would enable the regional park to continue functioning as a park that serves the community.
"Under the authority of the Regional Parks Association, each office is responsible for making sure that a park is meeting their standards and accreditations," explained Wakelam. "As things stand, we can't afford to do the upgrades necessary to the park: the pool, the clubhouse, the equipment necessary to maintain the golf course, et cetera."
Negotiations for the sale of the park had to adhere to rigorous conditions put forth by the government and involved the agreement of all eight governing bodies. The Villages of Englefeld, Jansen and St. Gregor, and the RMs of Prairie Rose, Wolverine, St. Peter and LeRoy as well as the Town of LeRoy all agreed to renounce the portion of the profit that would come back to them from their original investment once all the park's debts have been paid. None of them, Wakelam noted, had offered funds to rectify the association's financial situation.
It is a property developer from B.C., PacWest Properties, who will be taking over the ownership of LeRoy Leisureland at the end of the year. Details about the negotiations are under the disclosure agreement until October 31.
Toward the end of the meeting, LeRoy's mayor Morris Hartman spoke.
"In my opinion, we've got three choices here. We can go out and fundraise $100,000 to get that park operating next year, or we can close the park, or we can sell it," Hartman said.
"The park is in trouble and they're (PacWest) willing to sign with the regional parks, with this authority and with the government that they will make it better. I don't think it's such a bad deal, guys."
The park board will continue to run the facility until the sale becomes official.
