Yellowknife (Dec 01/99) - The city is willing to share a $34,000 repair bill city officials had contended the curling club should pay.

"Administration was given a mandate and told to negotiate within that mandate," said Mayor Dave Lovell.

The decision was made Monday following an in- camera review of a legal opinion on the lease agreement between the city and the curling club. Council also considered a report prepared by a refrigeration systems expert.

The lease agreement outlines the responsibilities for the rink, which the city built and the curling club maintains and operates.

In August the curling club submitted a bill to the city for repairs to the refrigeration system.

The club said the repairs were necessary because inadequate fittings, which eventually rusted, were used in the construction of the facility. City staff argued the fixtures rusted because of improper regular maintenance and the curling club should pay.

Curling club manager Klaus Schoenne said because volunteer help from members was used, the club was able to halve the estimated $70,000 cost of the repair.

Schoenne waited for the end of Monday's in-camera discussion. He said the meeting adjourned as soon as he was allowed in, with no public decision made. Lovell said the decision was made in public.

In a Nov. 26 letter to city administrator Max Hall following a meeting the same day between city and club officials, Schoenne said the club would be willing to pay $8,639 of the $35,000 bill.

"Due to the economic situation council is facing in trying to minimize taxes and maintain adequate services to the citizens of Yellowknife the curling club is offering to do its part (to resolve) an unfortunate situation that the curling club could not have foreseen or be held responsible for," wrote Schoenne.

The offer to pay 25 per cent of the bill was made on the condition the club is not in any way held responsible for the failure of the header system.