The Prairie Sky Chamber of Commerce (PSCC) and Route 11 Arts Centre will continue to occupy their current digs on Klassen Street in Warman for at least another year.
Warman City Council approved one-year leases for both tenants of the city-owned building at a meeting on Monday, March 28. The leases run from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.
Under the new one-year leases, Route 11 will pay the city $440 per month ($5,280 per year) and the PSCC will pay $422 per month ($5,068.80 per year. These rates are a continuation of the reduced rental rates agreed to by Warman City Council in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Both non-profit organizations saw their revenue fall dramatically during 2020 and 2021.
During discussion at the March 28 meeting, city councillors expressed strong support for both the chamber of commerce and the volunteer-run arts centre. However, there was concern that the rental rates fell below the city’s operating and maintenance costs for the building. An analysis by the city’s economic development department indicated that it costs the city $10,893 per year to cover utilities, maintenance and amortization. The combined rental income to the city from both leases is $10,348.80 annually.