The second night of budget deliberations provided a little more certainty for Wheatley Arena.
On Thursday, council voted against cutting $25,000 in staff wages, which would have had the arena operate six days a week instead of seven.
With usage on the decline, operational hours for Wheatley Arena were on the chopping block. However, a week prior during budget open houses, many residents were vocal about the importance of keeping recreational buildings open.
Recreational facility supervisor with Chatham-Kent, Rob Veccia, said the municipality will go forward with this year as is and create a plan for the future.
"We are going to work on an arena business plan and then we're going to continue to look at streamlining efficiencies and trying to see what will work best for the whole community," said Veccia.
According to Veccia, the proposed cuts all came down to efficiency.
"It was more about streamlining the operational aspect of the facility, said Veccia. "Trying to consolidate some usage, seeing that we've declined some of the usage in the facility."
Veccia said as of right now, it will be business as usual for the arena.
