The Reuse-It Centre will remain open until June, but beyond that, the future of the secondhand shop depends on a decision from council.
That decision is whether to approve a $10,000 funding request from the Jasper Environmental Stewardship Society (JESS), the non-profit that runs the centre.
That request was presented to council at the Jan. 7 meeting, along with a request for $10,000 in 2015 and again in 2016.
Currently, Janet Cooper, the environmental stewardship coordinator for the municipality and Parks Canada, has $10,000 allotted for the centre in her 2014 operating budget.
An interim budget, including that line item, was approved by council at the Dec. 17 regular meeting. By approving an interim budget, council has allowed administration to continue business as usual, while deliberations continue. That means, until the budget is approved in full, the $10,000 in the environmental stewardship budget is tentative.
Presenting on behalf of the JESS board was Megan Vicente, the board president, and Kim Stark, the vice-president. The duo came prepared with a three-year business plan, as was requested by Mayor Richard Ireland at a previous meeting.
That plan includes the budgets for the past two years, as well as predictions for the coming three years, and it also outlines the society’s plans to make the centre more sustainable.
Included in those is fundraising to the tune of $5,000 each year and selling items on consignment. There is also a hope that the society can collaborate with the transfer station, so that when large furniture items are taken to the station, they can be put aside for pick-up by the centre’s manager.
During the council meeting, Vicente explained why the centre is worthy of further financial support, saying, “It provides social, economic and environmental benefits to the community of Jasper.
“Economically it lengthens the life of the landfill, reduces the costs of dealing with illegal dumping and transport of solid waste; environmentally it lessens the stress on the landfill, reduces waste and recycles and reuses materials; socially it services low income individuals and our transient population and it’s an embodiment of Jasper’s Community Sustainability Plan.”
In 2012, the Reuse-It Centre was created to meet all of those goals. At the time, Cooper presented to council—requesting $65,000 be released from environmental stewardship reserves for seed money—with the understanding that the centre would be self-sustaining by the end of two years. Following that, a society was created to run the centre and the storefront was set up in the Stan Wright Industrial Park.
In that location, the rent was high and the manager was working 35 hours a week. That became unsustainable, so the centre relocated to the Anglican Church basement in July 2013.
The move cut costs substantially, as did the reduction in hours to 15 for the manager, bringing the monthly deficit down by more than $2,000 in the first month.
But even with that substantial reduction in costs, the centre continues to carry a deficit of about $1,000 a month, making it unsustainable without further funding.
At the end of 2012, there was talk that the centre would close Dec. 31, to allow the church to book youth groups for the space. But, Cooper said it was later decided that, since the society planned to pay the church until the end of its lease—June—it might as well remain open until then.
Beyond that the money runs dry.
“So, if council doesn’t say yes to this, we will close in June, because unless our sales drastically increase there just won’t be enough money,” said Cooper.
During the meeting Jan. 7, council raised concerns over the need for a request from the society when there is already money earmarked in the environmental stewardship budget for the centre.
Ireland questioned whether that would make the request for funding redundant.
Cooper agreed to do some research to determine whether that is the case, or whether such a request is necessary. That information is to be presented to council before the Jan. 21 meeting of council, when the request for funds appears on the agenda for decision.
Ireland’s concern was that if there were to be a decision on the request, that could suggest the municipality will pay its half of the environmental stewardship program’s budget, as well as an additional $10,000, rather than that $10,000 falling within the budget—which is split 50/50 by the municipality and Parks.
Coun. Rico Damota shared Ireland’s concern and said he wouldn’t feel comfortable voting on the request until he knew where that money was coming from.
To see the Jasper Environmental Stewardship Society’s business plan for the Reuse It Centre, visit the municipal website for the Jan. 7 council agenda.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
