The concession stand at Harrow Arena may be saved from the chopping block.
As you heard on AM800 News, back in July, Ward 4 Councillor Sherry Bondy raised concerns after administration advised council the stand will no longer be operated by an outside source and the town does not have the staffing resources to operate it on its own.
She says the Finance Committee sat down with M&M Canteens and worked out a break on rent to assure the vendor would remain for two-more-years — rent would be reduced from $514 each month to $400.
Bondy tells AM800 News that works out to a $900 hit for the town's bottom line, but it's worth every penny if it keeps even a few groups coming through the doors.
"Start cutting down one part and put in vending machines and then perhaps to some user groups ice-time becomes less appealing at the Harrow and Colchester Arena so they travel to other arenas. I don't want to take that risk," she says.
"I think everybody, when they go to the arena, they want part of that experience, typical arena food that people want to see. It's part of the arena package, it's part of the service."
Bondy is hoping council sees the break as a viable compromise to closing the concession stand indefinitely.
"I'm hoping that it's going to be non-contentious, to me, it's a no brainer and a win win," she says. "At the end of the day it will be up to the Harrow people to make sure they use it enough and it remains open for years to come."
Council will make a decision at Monday night's meeting in Essex.