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365 Sports owner Jesse Fulton confused by Urban Slide rejection

June 9, 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Pickford

A former Orangeville businessman says he has been left perplexed by Orangeville Council’s decision not to let him bring his Urban Slide event back to the community for a second year.

Jesse Fulton, owner of 365 Sports, said he was surprised to learn in April that Council had decided against allowing the Urban Slide to set up in Orangeville this summer, but was “blown away” when the municipality upheld its decision on May 29, despite pleas from Alison Scheel, manager of the Orangeville Business Improvement Area (BIA) for the Town to reconsider its decision.

“The fact that they didn’t respect the request of the BIA blows me away,” Mr. Fulton said in an email to the Citizen. “This was going to be a really fun weekend” for the people of Orangeville.

The Urban Slide was scheduled to land in Orangeville on July 21 and 22, with 365 Sport offering to reimburse the municipality for the water used during the event. The 1,100-foot water slide was slated to span part of the downtown section of Broadway.

During the May 29 meeting of Council, Coun. Scott Wilson said he would not support Urban Slide returning to Orangeville because the organization had failed to follow through on its promises to donate money to local charities. Coun. Don Kidd said he, too, had yet to see any evidence to support claims by 365 Sport that it had donated about $4,000 to Headwaters Health Care Centre and Family Transition Place.

In one email to the Citizen, Mr. Fulton included images of a cheque for $1,285.55 written to Family Transition Place and a further $3,200 raised through sales at the Urban Slide beer garden and the Hip on Mill Street presented to Headwaters Health Care Foundation.

“They obviously did no research on this event and our company as a whole,” Mr. Fulton asserted. “If they did their research they would see that we work with charities such as Make a Wish, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, (multiple) Canadian food banks and the Cancer Society of Canada. These organizations have very strict stipulations to work with them. There is a vetting process and we are accepted by them.”

The most upsetting thing for Mr. Fulton was that he believes Council knows exactly who he is, as a former local business owner with a history of community involvement.

“They know me, they know us. Over the 10 years that we lived (in Orangeville) we invested heavily in the town, the youth and charity. We hosted events, fundraisers and donated tens of thousands of dollars in cash and products to a number of organizations, including (Headwaters Health Care Centre), Choices Youth Centre…”

He added, “This year alone we (have) donated over six figures in cash to charitable organizations.”

While he understands Council is unlikely to change its mind at this late stage, Mr. Fulton said his event would be a big miss for local businesses and community members alike. He says that while Orangeville appears to be a no-go for Urban Slide, roughly 40 other municipalities are enquiring about bringing the event into their communities.

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