The Fabio Belli Foundation isn’t sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars it raised for a multi-sport dome built on the grounds of Lasalle Secondary School, said two of its board members this week.
Michel Lariviere and Dino Moretta said it’s “hurtful” to think anyone would assume the foundation is keeping any money raised for that cause, after the Rainbow District School Board announced it was taking over full ownership and funding of the new facility, which opened in February for about four weeks.
“This idea that we have $1 million we are sitting on is very damaging, and it’s hurtful considering all the work that has gone into this project,” said Moretta, chair of the board for the Fabio Belli Foundation.
The amount the foundation had raised was inconsequential compared to what was required, he said, and any money collected will be put towards covering certain unavoidable foundation expenses and creating some bursaries for students, said Moretta.
Through a corporate campaign, there were a few pledges from companies, but those pledges never materialized. The foundation had planned a fundraiser for May, which they hoped would spearhead the campaign, but it was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The foundation did have a $4-million commitment from Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal government, but after the Conservatives won power in the last election, that money was rescinded, said Lariviere. When that happened, the foundation switched from lobbying for the sports dome to fundraising to support the project, with the goal to collect $1 million toward the project.
“Our board was in a situation where our years of lobbying and advocating for this community was out the window, but we had to regroup and see how we might still be able to contribute to this project,” Lariviere said. “We were launched into the world of fundraising, as a result.”
He said the board had big ambitions to be able to generate enough money to contribute to what they thought was still a “noble pursuit.”
Then, the pandemic hit, said Lariviere.
“I’m really not trying to make excuses, I’m simply pointing out the reality that the pandemic put the brakes on a lot of the work we were trying to engage in,” he said.
The foundation and the school board last met prior to the pandemic, Lariviere said. The board was hinting this is the way things could go, largely because the project needed completion. By then, the dome was under construction.
“Personally, I’m disappointed by the loss of the $4-million commitment from the province,” Lariviere said. “That loss set in motion everything we are dealing with now. The timeframe we had to generate a significant amount of money was very short, and it was made even more narrow with the pandemic.”
Being a close friend of Belli’s, Lariviere said it would have been nice to have his name included as part of the facility’s name, but the foundation understands the decision from the school board.
“At least there will be some recognition through the plaque that he was a big reason why this was able to come to fruition,” he said, adding he spoke with Belli’s family and they understand what has transpired.
There’s no animosity between the foundation and the school board, he said. The plan is to still work with Rainbow.
The foundation has submitted a grant application for the field house to be built at the sports dome, and it’s already past Phase 1 with the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture, Lariviere said. Furthermore, the foundation hopes to expand that relationship by potentially creating a bursary for athletes who might need to compete somewhere, but aren't able to afford it, or to purchase equipment for a team.
“Generally speaking, our mandate is to help build and maintain facilities to foster a happier, healthier Sudbury, and anything we can do to contribute to that, we will continue to do so,” he said.
Moretta said even during the four weeks it was in operation, the dome exceeded the business plan that was in place, and generated a profit.
“We worked with about seven clubs, and during that time, it was very successful,” Moretta said. “We have shown this will generate revenue, it’s not a black hole that a certain base of taxpayers think it is going to be. The numbers were there, the business plan was realistic, and it generated money instead of losing it. It’s not the cash drain some people think it is.”
Greater Sudbury was one of the very few communities in Ontario that didn’t have a dome like this, including much smaller communities in comparison, he said.
Rainbow District School Board said it will be covering the shortfall of the expected $1 million through its reserves.
Sudbury.com is not opening this article to comments.
