THUNDER BAY -- Charging someone 16 per cent interest is not the way to treat a community partner a local swimming club says.
The Thunderbolts Swim Club came to city council Monday night asking that more than $8,200 they've paid in interest payments because of overdue bills be refunded. They also want to agree on a new interest rate with the city.
Spokesman Michael Strickland said while the 16 per cent is in city bylaws for overdue accounts, it's not actually in any signed agreements the city has with the club, which has been using the Canada Games Complex for years. With a new contract in the works, that number has now appeared.
"That's the concern the swim club has," Strickland said.
With more than 180 swimmers, Raymond Halverson said the club has given back to the city in many ways since it began in 1972. From volunteering at major events to working at the pool itself.
"There are lots of that community partnership within the club itself," he said.
"We'd like to continue fostering that."
The club also has economic benefits for the city, particularly during it's annual May invitational swim meet when more than 100 hotel rooms are rented by families from across the region and even Minnesota. Because it coincides with an American long weekend, those families make the event a holiday.
"We do bring quite a bit into the city for that,” Halverson said.
City council will get a report back on how it can provide interest relief for the club.
