Yellowhead Centre posts profit

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Published on Thursday, October 20, 2016

File photo

By Eoin Devereux

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

The Yellowhead Centre is coming off one of the most productive years the facility has had in recent memory. The Yellowhead volunteer board held its annual general meeting (AGM) on Monday, Oct. 17, to review its financial statements and update the public on its long term outlook. 

Total income for the Yellowhead Centre last year, including the operational revenue, donations and the farming fundraiser project totalled $384,894. The expenses, meanwhile, were $359,730. Both those financial results are higher from 2015. 

Board president Darian Major said with the cost of operating a facility such as the Yellowhead Centre continuing to increase, it’s important for the board and staff to explore new revenue streams and to receive local support.

“We, as a board, do everything we can to keep the expenses down, but at the same time, the costs for upgrades and even just the day to day operations continue to grow,” noted Major. “While our net income year over year has improved, which was great to see, there were two key drivers to keeping the Yellowhead in the black. First was the farming project, which was very successful. Thanks to the Town of Neepawa, as well as all the businesses and organizations that donated to that,” noted Major. “As well, grant support from the Town of Neepawa and[North Cypress/Langford] increased. We also continued to receive support from the RM of Rosedale. We are thankful to all those councils for seeing the value of the Yellowhead Centre to the region.” The positives from the year were more than just the dollars and cents however, as the first phase of the massive physical upgrades to the building were completed. The over $100,000 worth of improvements included the installation of new LED lighting, a de-humidifier, low-E ceiling, the painting of the arena seating and the readjustment of the heating system. On top of that, a new full-time maintenance manager was hired to look after the day-to-day operational requirements

Yellowhead Centre director of operations Anne Kuharski said both those changes have received positive reactions.

“First, there was the visible changes to the arena. The new lighting, heating and seating. All of it was upgraded in some form or another, whether it was a complete renovation or just a fresh coat of paint. People have been happy with the work,” stated Kuharski. “On top of that, the hiring of a new, full-time maintenance manager has been very well received. There is always something to do around [The Yellowhead Centre]. Having [Mike Speiss] here in a full time capacity ensures that those little things are being done and ensuring that they don’t become big things later on.”

As for the future, Major noted that it’s very important for the board to continue working towards completion of its long term capital plan, which it approved in January. Some of those additional plans included the re-arranging of the ticket booth area, shifting the Yellowhead Hall stage to the east end of hall and installation of new dressing rooms.

Yellowhead Centre income statement