Salmon Arm continues to benefit from having hosted last summer's 55+ BC Games.
According to an economic impact report on the Sept. 10-14 event, the community as a whole benefited from more than an estimated $1.5 million in direct spending related to the Games. About $620,000 of that went to accommodations alone, while visitor spending was estimated at $437,400.
In a presentation to city council during its April 22 meeting, Salmon Arm Games director/accountant Bruce Hunt noted the Games itself also took in $548,000 in revenue, while expenses were around $305,000.
"That would have been much higher if we didn’t have the community support that we did have in terms of in-kind contributions," said Hunt, who estimated the value of those contributions to be $244,000. Those in-kind contributions included use of motor vehicles provided by local dealers, food from a number of organizations, support from the city, community groups, the province, the teams of people who worked on the games and lots of volunteers that supported them.
"Everyone worked really hard to pull off a successful games, to make sure there was a significant legacy fund that would remain in the city," said Hunt, who'd brought with him a legacy fund cheque to the city for $166,750 that was presented to Mayor Alan Harrison.
"When I chatted with the senior games treasurer, he couldn't recall any legacy remaining in a city of that amount in recent history," said Hunt.
After the presentation, council supported a motion authorizing staff to establish a Legacy Fund, a 55+ reserve account "where the $166,751 to the legacy fund will be allocated to initiatives focused on developing facilities and services that promote active and healthy lifestyles for individuals 55 and older."
After the vote, Coun. Debbie Cannon, the Salmon Arm 2024 55+ BC Games committee president, said committee members had already put their name forward to be on a new committee tasked with deciding on how the fund will be spent.
Cannon's fellow councillors praised her, the committee and everyone who helped make the Games happen.
"For me, being in the event organizing kind of industry, this was one of the best teams I have ever worked with…," commented Coun. David Gonella, who also served as one of the Games' directors. "The fact that we ended up with this amount of money is just a testament of just the hard work and… pure discipline that we, everyone on this team followed."
Coun. Kevin Flynn noted hosting the games had long been a vision of Cannon's, and said anything the legacy funding is spent on "will benefit everybody in the community regardless of age and that is the legacy as well."
In his comments, Harrison noted there's been some early apprehension about Salmon Arm hosting the Games, as it was one of the smallest communities to do so, "and I know Coun. Cannon did a lot of work saying you know, we’re small but we’re mighty, we will get those volunteers out there, and you did."
Harrison also credited the contributions of Salmon Arm Economic Development Society economic development manager Lana Fitt, and committee director Carl Cooper.
"Each director did their job…During the event I saw directors going around moving tables and doing hands-on stuff and that is leadership," said Harrison. "I know you did a lot more than that but that piece, people saw you doing that piece. It was so encouraging.
"We’ve got a great community. Maybe we’ll do it again one day or something like it, but probably not next year. We’ll wait."
