RATEPAYERS have paid off more than $600,000 of debt, which was left in the hands of the Mackay Regional Council after it took over operations of the Virgin Australia Stadium.
Mayor Deirdre Comerford said it wasn't "pleasant" to have to tell the community the extent of the $635,000 bill, which includes paying off outstanding power bills, wages and the cost of hosting NRL matches.
But she is confident the $11.3?million stadium is a solid investment for the community.
The public was invited to attend yesterday morning's press conference, and councillors showed a united front, with many of them watching the mayor address the media pack. Council is in the process of developing a business plan to manage the cost of the stadium, she said.
"The key is ... that we will develop a business plan, so we can ensure for our community that we can run this as effectively, and cost effectively as we can," Cr Comerford said.
The current Virgin Australia Stadium manager, Julie Anderson, will finish up in early September, and a senior officer at the MECC will take charge. At the moment there is a $200,000 line in the council budget allocated to fund the running of the stadium.
The Bulldogs versus Knights NRL match, which was played only a month after council was in control of the stadium, ran at an $185,000 loss.
But $450,000 of debts were left to council, when they took over operations.
"There were power bills outstanding for about $70,000 and it was also down to maintenance and cleaning bills, fire alarm maintenance ... top dressing the field," she said.
"So those figures are real bills owed to real businesses in Mackay. And one can say ... council was doing the right thing by many local businesses in our community."
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POSSIBILITY OF NO MORE NRL GAMES
THE stadium won't host another NRL game if councillors know it will run at a loss.
That's the opinion of Mayor Deirdre Comerford.
She said they would have to know if events like that would, at the least, "break even", to get a green light by councillors.
"But it is clear to say, we can still see the value of having an NRL match, for a variety of reasons," she said.
Cr Comerford has been in meetings with NRL officials to discuss the stadium's best bet at hosting an event.
The previous match was a huge learning curve, and things would change if another game of that scale was to be held at the stadium.
"There are better ways to do things for the future," she said.
However, the Virgin Australia Stadium has key events coming up.
Mackay District Rugby League has secured a deal to host their grand final match later this year.
And on September 21 the stadium will be filled with big hats and boots when the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) bring their show to Mackay.
Cr Comerford said, if the opportunity to host another musical spectacular, like March's KISS concert, came about, council would absolutely look into it.
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CUTTERS HOPE TO STAY
THE Mackay Cutters have called the Virgin Australia Stadium home for two years, and executive officer Glenn Ottaway hopes it will stay that way.
Mayor Deirdre Comerford said the agreement allowing the Cutters to stay on board at the stadium would be looked at in council's development plan.
"Certainly they are currently tenants at the stadium and they will be part of the business plan going forward, so they will need to pay their way," she said.
Mr Ottaway said increased cost on the Cutters would be a huge burden on the club.
"We are a not-for-profit organisation, everything we earn is from the support of sponsors and the community, but 100% of what we make goes back into the club," he said.
Cr Comerford said the Cutters were unique, in comparison to other clubs, as they didn't have a leagues club with poker machines pooling in money for them.
Mr Ottaway said Cutters and council officials had been meeting regularly, even daily, to discuss operations at the stadium. He said he was promised by council they would ride out the rest of the season, and was confident they could make an agreement with council.
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Source: http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/mayor-believes-stadium-is-good-investment/1968928/
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