SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Yellowknife Climbing Club is looking to relocate its facility to the Fieldhouse in order to meet the growing demand from climbers wanting to use its climbing wall.

Taylor Sorenson, 10, climbs her way around a marked-out circuit at the Yellowknife Climbing Club's bouldering gym last year. The climbing club has made a proposal to city council for it to relocate from its current facility on Kam Lake Rd. to the Fieldhouse. The club would also like the city to take over administration of the climbing facility much like it does for the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool. - NNSL file photo

During a Municipal Services Committee (MSC) meeting on Monday Eric Binion, the club's president, told council that the club is on the verge of outgrowing its current facility in the basement of the Yellowknife Guild of Arts and Crafts building on Kam Lake Road. Binion explained to councillors that rock climbing is no longer a fringe sport - it is growing. He said that the club currently has 83 members. He estimates that about 1,800 people have dropped by the club to use its climbing wall over the past year. He said their proposal is for a high quality, full-sized climbing wall, substantially upgraded from the cramped space which the club currently occupies.

Binion said that the lobby of the Fieldhouse is a logical place for the club to relocate. He said the club's proposal to set up there would cost approximately $185,000. He added that it is not just funding from the city that the club is looking for but for the city to take over the administration of the club, not unlike how the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool is managed now by the city.

"The board - we run the entire gym - 17 volunteers run all the bookkeeping and administration. This is not a sustainable model for us," Binion said. "We don't want to run a small business on the side which we have been doing for about four years now. The idea is that the city would take over the administration side of things. We would still be involved but not to the same extent we are now."

Binion has asked council to make the climbing gym at the Fieldhouse a line item when they start working on the 2017 budget in the fall. He said that having the club at the Fieldhouse would not only give them more room but would allow for expanded rope climbing.

In response to a question from Coun. Linda Bussey, Binion explained that the club had discussed potential areas for relocation including schools and gyms in town. Ultimately they came to the conclusion that the lobby of the Fieldhouse would work best.

Binion said that the club currently has about $20,000 in capital assets and $15,000 in liquid assets. If and when the club receives a firm commitment from the city he said they could give a firm estimate on the amount of money the club would be able to contribute toward the project. He said after approval to relocate, the club would then start a fundraising campaign.

Responding to a question from Coun. Adrian Bell, Binion said the existing gym structure and mats could all be transferred to the Fieldhouse if the relocation goes ahead.

The club formed as a non-for-profit society in 2010. It currently operates the bouldering wall in the evenings during the week. It is hoped that if it does relocate to the Fieldhouse that those hours would be expanded. The club also does outdoor climbing in several locations in and around the city including Cameron Falls and Tartan Rapids, according to its website.

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