Drama at Chaffey Hall: the Huntsville Lions Club vs. the Huntsville Theatre Company

Another of Huntsville’s community halls was front and centre at this week’s General Committee meeting in discussions that quickly veered away from the agenda item – a Reversionary Agreement for Chaffey Hall between the Town and the Huntsville Lions Club – and into issues between the Lions and their tenant, the Huntsville Theatre Company.

The Town agreed to sell the hall to the Lions for a nominal fee in 2013 and provide a five-year operational grant of $16,320 annually which will cease in 2019, but issues with the property’s survey and deed had prevented transfer of the title. Those issues have now been resolved. During that time the Town was also negotiating a Reversionary Agreement with the Lions that would see the property return to the Town for the sum of two dollars should the Lions no longer need it.

Councillor Bob Stone set the tone for the discussion with his opening comment: “I’m afraid I can’t support (the Reversionary Agreement) because I believe it won’t achieve the objective. We don’t want this property back. The Lions are well-intentioned and do good work in our community but we must make a business case for the town. The reality is that this particular Lions group has an aging membership of less than 16 members… I believe there are two options for disposing of the asset. The theatre group [Huntsville Theatre Company] is a vibrant, profitable operation and they are prepared to take the building for one quarter of (the remaining operating grant) or we sell it outright and be done with it.”

Lauren Saunders (left) and Teal Cochrane from the Huntsville Theatre Company gave a deputation at the beginning of the General Committee meeting to share information about the company

That launched a discussion about the deteriorating relationship between the Huntsville Lions Club and the Huntsville Theatre Company, the efforts already made by council to mediate the issues between them, and whether the Town had any legal right to force the Lions to continue HTC’s lease beyond 2019, or to revoke the original 2013 agreement between the Town and the Lions.

Councillor Det Schumacher, a member of the Stephenson Lions Club, questioned why the Huntsville Lions Club wants Chaffey Hall at all. His club had rejected the idea of owning a hall previously. “To their credit and their wisdom, the Stephenson Lions decided, we are an organization that is a service club. We fundraise to put money back into the community. We don’t want to fundraise to maintain a building. I don’t understand where the Chaffey Lions are coming from, wanting to have a building that they’ve got to fundraise to maintain rather than provide a service that they as a club should be providing. I would be in favour, if possible, to reverse roles, to offer this to the theatre company and let them sublet a meeting room to the Lions Club.”

Lion Merv Walt was in the gallery for the meeting and was invited to answer questions from councillors. He noted that the Lions have used Chaffey Hall for many years and that their lease agreement with the Huntsville Theatre Company was poorly defined, leading to animosity between the groups over changes the theatre company made to the hall. He also said that the club has “plans in the works to make this thing work where it’s going to be a self-sufficient operation. We’re not going to have to go and fundraise.”

Walt later said that the hall is the Lions’ home and they take pride in the facility.

After more than 20 minutes of discussion, Mayor Scott Aitchison summed up the feelings of council.

As Mayor, I’ve been forced to spend an awful lot of time trying to mediate between two parties that in reality I shouldn’t have anything to do with… None of us have the time to be dealing with childish and petty fighting amongst landlords and tenants. It’s absolutely embarrassing what’s going on right now. I understand around this table where (councillors) are so frustrated and so angry about what’s gone on that they don’t have any confidence in the Lions Club to carry out this agreement. I realize that we have started a process that legally we probably have to complete… This is embarrassing not just for the Lions Club, it’s embarrassing for the Town of Huntsville.
Mayor Scott Aitchison

Lion Merv Walt (right) answers questions from General Committee

At the end of the discussion, Deputy Mayor Karin Terziano asked councillors to look beyond the disagreements between the two groups. “I think it’s wise for us to get legal advice but at the same time I’d like to see some dialogue happening. We need to deal with it legally but we also need to do what’s right. We can’t sit here and suggest that because a group potentially has a little bit of infighting it’s a bad group… And maybe through some of this dialogue (the Lions) will decide that they don’t want to go forward. I just don’t think we can go and say ‘legally we don’t have to do this’ and consider that to be the right thing.”

The motion was tabled to give CAO Denise Corry time to look into the Town’s legal options.

In a later discussion with Doppler, Huntsville Theatre Company president Veronica Leonard expressed the desire of the group to work with the Lions to resolve their disagreements.

“The Huntsville Theatre Company and the Lions haven’t seen eye to eye on aspects of our agreement in recent months,” she said. “We are eager to enhance our relationship with them to make sure that we can come up with the best course of action. We are both well-respected organizations in this community and we are hoping that the Lions agree that this is an opportunity to move forward, to find the best solution so that we can both continue to provide our valuable services in Huntsville.”

Leonard noted that the changes the theatre company has made to the hall were a result of a verbal agreement and “done in good faith and with the joint intent of having the theatre company have a home.” Should their lease with the Lions not be renewed after August 2019, Leonard said they would look at their options and hopefully not have to disband. But if the option arose for them to take ownership of the hall, Leonard said, “We have discussed it at length as a board and we are absolutely prepared to take that on.”

In a separate conversation with Doppler, Lion Merv Walt also expressed a desire to work to a resolution that both groups would be happy with.

We need to sit down and talk like common sense people and say here’s what we’re up against and here’s what you’re up against, here’s what our costs are going to be to maintain this hall and keep it going, we don’t expect you to pay the whole nine yards but we expect you to pay your portion of it.
Lion Merv Walt

He also noted that the current lease will be honoured, but “we are hoping to raise the rent after the term is done so that they can help out as far as the maintenance… We will have to increase the income in the hall so we are not jeopardizing the club itself.” Walt added that the club also needs to make modifications to the hall “so that we can rent out more of the building to make it a more viable property.”

Responding to allegations that the hall is without heat and not being fixed, Walt said that they are working on getting it resolved quickly.

And ultimately, the club wants to remain in Chaffey Hall for many more years. “We’re not trying to make big money off the hall, we’re just trying to pay our way through it and maintain it. It’s been home for the club for a long time and we would prefer to hang on to it if we can.”

Updated October 27 to reflect the correct end date of the Huntsville Theatre Company’s lease.

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