Manitou Beach hopes to restart Drive-in

“You could be renting the drive-in and more, there’s so much room there that it could be a carnival space, bouncy castles, waterslide, there’s the concession stand there,” he said. “It has a lot of potential, not just a drive-in at night, it could be a daytime kind of venue.”

The drive-in has been operating in the village since the early 1950s but the 2022 season did not end well after two breakdowns of the projector late in the season. In the second breakdown, the projector bulb exploded. The village has blamed the operator at the time for an incorrect bulb installation – on social media the operator has maintained he did not do it.

Regardless of what happened, money remains a major challenge.

LaRochelle said the village bought the drive-in in 2014 for $368,000 in order to keep it going. The village still has two years left in paying that off.

On top of that, LaRochelle said the village has lost around $68,000 in operating expenses on the drive-in since then. Because the facility is village owned, it also means there is no tax revenue coming from it.

He said the village is very keen to keep it going but also very keen on not sinking any more money into it.

“So what we are not prepared to do any further is to continue to lose money on the drive-in,” he said. “What we would want to do with a future renter is – what do you need to make this a go? Other than spending more money, we’re totally open to what that agreement would look like.”

LaRochelle said while many people have taken to social media calling for the facility to be saved, there are also those in the community who don’t want to pay for it.

He was blunt about the issues.

“What price do you put on nostalgia?” he asked, referring to the drive-in. “We’re looking forward to another and hopefully very successful tourist season and it would be ideal to have the drive-in as part of that, but at what cost?” he asked.

The RFP closes on February 16 and the document said the drive-in is fully operational, except for the cost of fixing the projector, estimated at between $16,000 and $20,000 dollars.

“The Proponent may wish to develop a Lease proposal that includes entering into a cost-sharing agreement to repair the projector,” the RFP says, adding the proponent could also provide their own projector, or investigate new technologies.

The RFP also states that the proponent would be responsible for the maintenance and repair of buildings, structures, and projection equipment.

Earl Hayhurst, who runs a video rental store in nearby Watrous was running the drive-in until the bulb exploded late last summer.

He declined to go into specifics about his dealings with the village but said in his view the terms of the RFP would make it difficult to operate the drive-in.

“Someone would have to be insane to sign that,” said Hayhurst. “Like I made no money this last year, barely two grand,” he said. “I now know why concession is so expensive because all your money goes to the studios. You’re giving them 75 per cent of what you take in, and with the other 25 per cent you got to pay staff and all that sort of thing.”

However, LaRochelle said they are open to almost any kind of proposal to keep the drive-in going.

“We’d be open to, not just a traditional renter, but a not-for-profit,” he said. He added last year the village added a flea market to the drive-in, so there would be another source of revenue.

“As much revenue stream as possible,” he said.

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doug.lett@pattisonmedia.com

by Doug Lett

Manitou Beach hopes to restart Drive-in

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