Odd that the Curling club seem unenthusiastic.
This was recently published in a local newspaper/magazine;
(transcribed, so an odd error might be present)
Councillor Martin Dowey -
https://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/councillor-martin-dowey=START=
There have been a lot of mistruths spread about Ayr Ice Rink and the council's involvement in trying to save it.
The board of the Rink contacted me and Cllr Lyons last year asking if there was anything we could do, as a council, to help with the rising energy prices.
We visited the Ice Rink twice and met with the board several times. Sports Scotland, the council and other bodies that might be able to assist with financial support were stopped from doing so as the ice rink is a private limited company with shareholders and, as such, precluded from funding.
The ice rink board refused to accept they had to turn into a charitable trust as they wanted their shareholders reimbursed for the value of their shares. The council cannot give assistance to a private company. The ice rink maintains it is non-profit, it is not. It might not pay dividends, but it is private.
Despite this we continued to engage and had a meeting with all councillors invited to discuss a way forward. The board refused to become a charity but advised they signed another energy deal from September 2023 till September 2024. We agreed to continue to help.
I set up a task force to help the rink become either more sustainable or a charity. I and the council were therefore shocked when the ice rink said they would be closing and that they received 'hollow words from the council.'
I have been working with an investment company to try and save the Rink and have been trying to get an investor to invest in a new rink. The council conducted a survey with the outcome it would cost £5 million to bring it to a suitable standard. We scoped out locations for a new ice rink and found a suitable location.
Until the ice rink's announcement, I had been contacted by no MPs or MSPs regarding this matter, none, apart from my wife, requested an update. Some were very quick to jump on the bandwagon, criticising the council without knowing any facts and could have easily prevented the investor from taking their bid seriously.
We all want the ice rink to be saved and the curlers, ice hockey players, and skaters to have a home, but the issue is more complicated than certain people think.
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