Golden Ticket Sports has gotten off to a good start since entering into a five-year lease agreement with the city in June to operate the former Hillcrest Sports Centre, now known as the Golden Ticket Sports Centre. 

An update on the Golden Ticket Sports Centre was given to city council on Monday night. 

Golden Ticket hosted 212 youth participating in camps and programs between July 20 and Nov. 21. They offered an average of 25 hours per week for drop-in basketball and volleyball and have 70 monthly members between the ages of 12 and 45. 

212 youth took part in camps and programming at Golden Ticket Sports Centre from July to November. (Photo courtesy: City of Moose Jaw)Long-term leases were negotiated with Moose Jaw Tennis, Sowden Flanagan Baseball, Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, and Gottselig Athletic Performance. 

Golden Ticket secured regular rentals from Moose Jaw Adult Volleyball League, Saskatchewan Stealth Volleyball and Queen City Canadian Junior Basketball League. 

The group continues to have discussions with Pickleball Moose Jaw for use of the facility. 

“They have shared some of the email communication that's gone back and forth, and it's not only the court design. There are also some discussions back and forth on the rate, on the times, and there's a bunch of different things that they're still trying to work out,” said Director of Parks and Recreation Derek Blais. 

Since taking over the facility, Golden Ticket has installed new gymnasium flooring and rubber surfacing and installed basketball and volleyball equipment. 

Additionally, they painted the interior and exterior of the building and completed upgrades to the washrooms and showers and completed classroom space and recarpeted the second floor. 

Golden Ticket is now in the process of installing a small turf area next to the gym space. This space was originally going to be for indoor beach volleyball but the court couldn’t be installed due to ventilation and space constraints. 

The city’s part of the agreement is to keep the building structurally and mechanically functional. About $60,000 in remediation projects have been completed by the city. 

The tennis courts at the Golden Ticket Sports Centre. (Photo courtesy: City of Moose Jaw)Parks and Recreation had to spend $11,200 from its operating budget for emergency repairs throughout the year to the roof and HVAC/electrical system. 

The department became aware recently that the main boiler was in poor condition and could fail at any time. The boiler is being replaced through savings from other capital projects in 2021. 

“We don't want to be in a situation where it fails throughout the winter and we have to implement a bunch of temporary measures at additional cost. So, we're able to get that project underway,” Blais said. 

As part of the agreement, Golden Ticket will provide the city with five per cent of its gross annual revenue up to a maximum of $25,000. Golden Ticket reported revenue of $29,852.92 in June and July, $1,492.65 of which will go to the city. Those funds will be set aside in the Hillcrest Sports Centre capital reserve.