Vision park commissioner Aaron Jasper is seeking a compromise with a private operator slated to run the Celebration Pavilion at Queen Elizabeth Park.

Originally, the first-term commissioner wanted to reverse a move to a private operator by the previous NPA-dominated board, citing “affordability” as his number-one concern. At its final meeting last November, commissioners had voted 4-1 to allow couple Allan and Betty Anne Burnett—owners of the Chapel at Stanley Park Inc. and also the Richmond-based Chapel at Minoru Park—to operate the park site for five years, with an option to extend to 10 years. On March 2, the park board voted unanimously to defer Jasper’s reversal motion to the March 10 services-and-budgets committee meeting.

Couples wanting to get married at Celebration Pavilion, located next to the Bloedel Conservatory, pay $950 for a 90-minute rental under the current city-run arrangement.

“I am trying to see if they are willing to meet me halfway,” Jasper told the Straight of the Burnetts. “If they aren’t willing to and they say, ”˜Sorry, we want to stick with our original plan,’ then my motion will come back to the March 23 meeting, in which case we will vote on whether or not to go through with the contract or to keep it in-house.”

Jasper said he is open to a private operator but wants some questions about costs answered. He claimed it will cost a couple around $1,800 to $2,000 to get married on a Saturday at the pavilion under the private proposal.

Park board staff have not yet signed any contract with the operators, Jasper added.

Lone NPA park commissioner Ian Robertson called Jasper’s deferral a “rookie mistake”.

“The appropriate thing for him to have done would’ve been to totally withdraw the motion,” Robertson told the Straight. “Having said that, I think this is indicative of what happens when you’ve got a rookie commissioner making some decisions, which I think he thinks are insignificant but in fact they have a significant impact upon a number of people.”

Robertson called Jasper’s affordability concerns “a red herring”.

“Sure, if you wanted the pavilion, and you wanted us to look after the flowers and the minister and providing some catering and add-ons, then it would have [been more expensive],” Robertson said. “But for those who wanted to book the pavilion, there was provision in the agreement that they could book just the pavilion at the same rate as what the park board was offering it at.”

Jasper contradicted Robertson, saying that rate doesn’t apply to the most popular days for weddings.