Canmore council has decided the municipality will manage the climbing wall in the new Multiplex after it did not receive satisfactory business proposals to contract out running the operation.
Originally, administration recommended Yamnuska Mountain Adventures receive the contract, but at the last minute submitted a new staff report with the change in direction.
The initial recommendation resulted in a tremendous show of support from the climbing community for Dung Nguyen, who runs Vsion climbing gym and who also submitted a proposal to operate the climbing wall.
Mayor Ron Casey told the crowd none of the proposals Canmore received met its criteria to manage the climbing wall, including projected lease revenues and paying for common costs like utilities.
“It is a public facility and it will remain a public facility,” said the mayor, adding council is financially accountable for its decisions. “This is not about us building a Town facility and handing it over automatically to anyone. We developed a process and that process obviously did not get us the results that you wanted.
“If this discussion had gone on four years ago, I can guarantee you we would have tennis courts instead of a climbing wall.”
Three proponents were part of the request for proposal process, including the Alpine Club of Canada, Nguyen and business partner Serge Belzile, and Yamnuska.
While Yamnuska formally withdrew its bid Tuesday (Dec. 6), stating the facility should make the community stronger and not divide it, many in attendance at the council meeting felt the contract should then go to Nguyen.
Canmore Junior Climbing Team Society co-chair Steve Frangos said the community believes he has the particular skill set necessary to run a successful climbing wall.
Frangos expressed concern that many in the climbing community wished to have input in the selection process and were denied.
“It is my opinion there has been very little reception to that,” he said.
Casey said a formal RFP process has restrictions and must follow particular steps to keep it as fair and open as possible. He said the climbing community had input at the front end with regards to the design, but the Town’s process to choose a contractor is about providing a viable business plan and not a popularity contest.
Nguyen told council he would likely go out of business as a result of its decision not to accept his proposal.
“Yes, I am going to be run out of business,” he said, adding he did not think the climbing wall was being built for him specifically to run when he was involved in it being included in the Multiplex. “I think we gave the proof needed to make a good business model.”
Casey committed Canmore to working with the climbing community, stakeholders and everyone wanting to be involved, including Nguyen, in creating the programming for the climbing wall moving forward.
He said the $6 million investment by council to include the wall in the Multiplex is for the entire community and not to favour one group over another.
Many of the people who spoke passionately at the meeting told council running a climbing wall is complex and the operator is key to making it a success beyond having a business plan.
“I would suggest that the success of this facility is largely predicated on the culture it engenders and that will be primarily based on the operator and the athletic development program they develop,” said one climber. “You cannot separate the success of the facility from the culture the operator/manager brings to it.”
