Another ticket surcharge increase has been approved that will see the price of Sarnia Sting tickets go up next season.
The $3 charge, negotiated with the Sarnia Sting Hockey Club, was approved by Sarnia council Monday, to help the organization pay for its dressing room renovation project at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena (PASA).
Councillor Terry Burrell supported the move.
"I think everybody has had a very hard time over the last couple of years because of the COVID situation and I think, although I would have thought that the original $600,000 would have been sufficient, I think that we do need to support our local economies as much as we can and the Sting is certainly part of that," said Burrell.
Mayor Mike Bradley also agreed with the option.
"It really is the ultimate 'user pay,'" said Bradley. "The people getting the benefit of the facility will be contributing to the upgrades."
Sting President Bill Abercrombie said a new dressing room complex is crucial for the longevity of team recruitment.
"This really will create a space for all of the participants in this arena," Abercrombie told council. "We currently operate with eight dressing rooms and they have shared showers, which has been frankly unacceptable at this day and age."
He said it's a major concern when young boys or girls and older men are butting up against the same time slots.
"This would allow us to free up some area to build a couple more dressing rooms that would have dedicated showers and washroom facilities."
Abercrombie said the new dressing rooms will also accommodate females who try out or play on male teams who have been using a service area -- without showers or a bathroom -- to get ready.
Councillors Mike Stark and Margaret Bird voted against the option.
Stark felt the Sting organization should finance the additional costs.
An amended lease agreement with the Sarnia Sting Hockey Club was just accepted last December.
At that time, a 50 cent ticket surcharge increase to $2 was approved to help renew the building.