Minutes of the West Shore Parks and Recreation Society Board of Directors Meeting - September 12, 2024

Minutes of the West Shore Parks and Recreation Society Board of Directors Meeting

Thursday, September 12th, 2024, in the Westshore Room

PRESENT: Damian Kowalewich, Shelly Donaldson, Kimberley Guiry, and Leslie Anderson
ABSENT: Director Dean Jantzen

STAFF PRESENT:
Grant Brown, administrator
Ron Dietrich, manager of operations
Geoff Welham, manager of recreation
Wei Wu, manager of finance and administration
April Luchinski, manager of human resources
Tiffany Moore, recorder

STAFF ABSENT: N/A
PUBLIC PRESENT: N/A

CALL TO ORDER

1. The chair called the meeting to order at 5:32pm.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

2. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS DONALDSON AND ANDERSON THAT THE AGENDA BE APPROVED, WITH THE AMENDMENT OF REMOVING ‘GOVERNANACE AGREEMENT UPDATE’ FROM ‘FOR INFORMATION’ SECTION.
   CARRIED

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

3. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS GUIRY AND DONALDSON THAT THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING ON JUNE 13, 2024, BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. NO ERRORS, NO OMMISIONS.
   CARRIED

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

4. N/A

CHAIR’S REMARKS

5. The chair welcomed the board and staff back from summer. A positive email following the BMX event was an unprompted, heartfelt praise of WSPR and the society. In two other casual encounters at WSPR facilities, one patron shared they love how inclusive WSPR is, and another loves interacting with lifeguards, seeing them progress and how well they interact with the public. The chair thanked the staff and teams for their good work. Condolences went out after the passing of Roger Wade and a card and gift went to his family on behalf of WSPRS.

DELEGATIONS

6. N/A

STANDING COMMITTEES

7. a) Finance committee: Second quarter financial review
   Wei Wu, manager of finance and administration, highlighted the following:

• Update on the Society’s financial performance as of June 30th, 2024.
• At the halfway point of the year, 49% of budgeted revenues and 52% of budgeted expenses have been realized.
• Field rentals are down due to JDF Soccer preferring artificial turf and no longer using the lawn bowl greens in the winter.
• Staff continue to explore ways to adapt programs and increase capacity.
• An architect was hired to meet permitting regulations for the human resource office and construction is expected to be 60% complete in 2024.
• Operating costs are not of concern. Capital projects are adjusted due to funding availability and project scope.

The board discussed revenue from lights, popularity of turf vs. grass, financial implications, new turf fields in the community. Management will explore needs and funding for turf and the board will discuss further in the October board meeting.

b) 2024 capital plan update
Wei Wu, manager of finance and administration, highlighted the following:

• The Q Centre cooling project came in over budget which resulted in the Master Control Panel project being deferred to 2025 and the remainder of the funds came from other capital projects coming in under budget.
• Specialty parks equipment, such as fairway mowers, are ordered and on budget; however, due to lengthy lead times, aren’t expected to arrive until 2025.

c) 2025 budget update
Grant Brown, administrator, highlighted the following:

• The 2025 budget is on target with the approved 5-year financial plan from last year. This includes a 3.9% requisition increase, which is a 0.1% decrease from the previous year’s lift of 4.0%.
• The full budget presentation will take place at the October board meeting, where staff will seek approval to forward the 2025 budget to the society members.
• Additional positions have been added to meet demands and program needs.
• Staff is seeking budget approval in October, prior to the November deadline.

The board inquired about budget increases in prior years and it was noted that very little capital work was completed between 2017-2019. That work is now getting caught up. The board briefly discussed new positions and it was noted that some auxiliary positions have been converted to full or part-time positions and are funded by the reduction of auxiliary roles.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS GUIRY AND ANDERSON THAT THE REPORTS BE RECEIVED AS PRESENTED.
CARRIED

OLD BUSINESS

8. a) Triangle baseball options:
   Ron Dietrich, manager of operations, highlighted the following:

• Talks occurred through the summer and Triangle Baseball has said they would like a field that accommodates different groups of youth.
• Field for U18 is not suitable on field 3 due to location of playpark and picnic shelter. Converting field 3 is very expensive.
• Discussions are taking place and staff are pricing out the requests which will be brought to the board for consideration at a future meeting.

b) Governance agreement update:
Grant Brown, administrator, highlighted the following:

• All councils except Highlands have signed the governance agreements. Highlands will be bringing the topic to council on October 7.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS ANDERSON AND DONALDSON THAT THE REPORTS BE RECEIVED AS PRESENTED.
CARRIED

NEW BUSINESS

9. a) Staff presentation: Community recreation & Centennial Centre:
   Lisa Lehive, arts and culture recreation programmer, gave a presentation that highlighted the following:

• A photographic tour of the facility and highlights of the pottery studio, youth nights and the rentals taking place at Centennial Centre.
• The facility is well-used and the pottery studio is reaching capacity with waitlists for many classes and drop-in studio times.
• Field trips, birthday parties are very popular.
• Rental revenue increased $15,000 over 2023 and many arts spaces can be multi-use, with the exception of pottery.
• Youth drop-in offerings expanded with funding from the Building Safer Communities grant and has been very popular and streamlined in programming.

The board thanked Lisa for her work and information. The board inquired about food safe classes for older teens, the general age of participants at youth nights, areas of limited growth, and rental revenue.

b) Youth program costs:
Nicky Brown, recreation coordinator, gave a presentation that highlighted the following:

• Since the Building Safer Communities grant, the youth drop-in program has grown significantly with increased staffing, equipment, and programs.
• The value of the program and benefits for youth are immeasurable because we can’t predict what will happen if we don’t support youth.
• Options for ongoing youth programming were presented with options ranging from returning to pre-grant levels to continuing with the full program as it currently operates.
• Friday night security and food at CC youth nights are considered highly important.

The value of the program and benefits for youth was expressed by all directors. The board inquired about the budget increase if the program continued in its current form, which was estimated to be 2%. It was noted that when the grant was presented, the vision was to make the youth program part of WSPR operations. The decision point is June 2025 to be included in the 2026 budget. The board noted a potential change in federal and provincial governments, as well as other funding possibilities. Game Ready/Washington Kids Foundation will be more involved and are a good asset to the program. The board considered gaps in service for youth, as well as programs and services in each owner municipality. The chair recommended the board make a decision in October/November that will provide direction to the next board.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS DONALDSON AND GUIRY THAT THE REPORTS BE RECEIVED AS PRESENTED.
CARRIED

Nicky Brown, Lisa Lehive and Anne Downton left the meeting at 6:55PM.

FOR INFORMATION

10. a) Administrator’s report
    Grant Brown, administrator, commented on the following:

STAFF REPORT

TO: West Shore Parks & Recreation Board Members
FROM: Grant Brown
DATE: September 2024
SUBJECT: Administrator’s Report

Administration/Human Resources

Over the summer WSPR received approval from the members to move forward with the outdoor pickleball court project, making use of WSPR’s reserve funds. Staff are working on the request for proposal (RFP) which will be issued in early fall. The anticipated completion date of the project is late spring 2025. A press release will be issued once the RFP is ready for publishing. The final review and sign-off for the 2024 capital project to convert the café to a human resources space is taking place shortly, with demolition and construction beginning soon.

Following a few challenges with the June payment server upgrade and payment provider switch, staff are pleased to report a very low error rate during the fall swimming registration in late August.

The 2025 budget process was a focus of the finance department over the summer as they provided guidance and leadership to the rest of the department while developing the financial plan for 2025.

Human resources continue to develop an in-house training program for supervisors, with the latest additions to include “Coaching Conversations” and “Addressing Toxic Workplaces”. With the addition of the HR Generalist position, the team is working on increasing the capacity of the ComVida payroll software to include credential tracking and expanded use of the scheduling module. The latter will be looked after by the HR assistant, reducing the departmental supervisors’ role in this area and allowing them to focus on other areas.

Operations

Maintenance
WSPR recently received a CleanBC grant to install 5 new electric air handling units. 3 units will be located on the roof of the main JDF building, with one serving the weightroom, one for the reception area, and one for the pool staff offices. We also received 2 new air handling units for the Q Centre lobbies and offices. These new units are much more efficient than the aging ones and result in significant energy savings, as they produce higher output while using less energy to run. The units have also provided the ability to decommission the gas lines on the JDF roof as these new units are electric.

The carpet in the Q Centre Arena private boxes has been replaced and the reupholstering of the seats will begin shortly. The lobby double doors leading to the indoor sports complex have been replaced.

The mechanical department completed several key projects, including bringing the Q Centre’s chiller and air conditioning system online with a temporary pump just in time for the July 5th Shamrocks’ game. Additional piping was installed on the upper mezzanine to accommodate a new coil for the lounge, to be completed at the end of September. Other tasks included installing a new button in the steamroom, relocating sprinkler heads in the Q Centre, upgrading the power source for the JDF dehumidifier, and performing various small electrical repairs on receptacles and breaker issues in other areas.

Staffing efforts are ongoing, with positions for auxiliary cleaners, RFT cleaner, and FMW roles were posted and interviews recently concluded. The FMW4 position was filled but vacated within two weeks; this role and other roles are expected to be filled shortly. A senior staff member’s upcoming retirement will soon lead to a posting for the FMW3 position.

Parks
The lining of the sports fields took place in August to prepare for the fall season. Both JDF Soccer and West Shore Rugby are back to full practice schedules. The crew will be installing concrete pads for bleachers on the roadside of the rugby pitch which will improve the spectator experience and protect the hill.

The late August rains refilled the ponds which should allow for their use while late summer field irrigation takes place. New wider squeegees have been put in use for tennis court patrons and have been working well to clear any standing water prior to play.

A thorough removal of graffiti took place at the skatepark and a hot water power washer is on order to help crews with this process moving forward. All capital equipment replacements have been ordered for 2024.

Programs

Community Recreation
Internal sport & youth summer camps continue to experience great registration. The second week of the aqua/sports camp ran with 16 children and a waitlist of 29. Staff will look at offering more in summer 2025. Out & About camp has had at least 19 children each week in August, with most weeks full. The Girls Got Game specialty camp was full with 20 participants in August and received high-level coaching in the following sports: mixed martial arts, pickleball, soccer, floor hockey, gymnastics, and ultimate frisbee.

WSPR had 20 youth volunteers in summer camps this year through the recreation leadership camp. Staff will look to bring some back throughout the school year for pro-d day, winter break, & spring break camps. WSPR saw 9 of the “rec leadership 2 camp” youth start their volunteering schedules in the Q Centre concessions, the skate shop, the weight room, and preschool camps.

The sport & youth department is now hiring program staff, as drop-in pickleball ramps back up on September 3rd, and staff are hiring youth program attendants for the fall with youth drop-in sessions expanding and the first youth night of the season set for September 13th. WSPR is welcoming the Pacific Archery Academy as a new contractor this fall. Registration has started and classes are slowly growing.

In August, 192 children, aged 4-15, attended art, pottery, dance, acting and science camps at Centennial Centre. The camp leaders created meaningful experiences for all children in the visual and performing arts.

Licensed arts and culture camps continued with strong registration in August with most camps sitting at 90-100% full. Campers enjoyed crafts, games and activities based around the weekly themes. 23 children were provided one-on-one support in camps by 9 staff through funding from Island Health. Children’s attendance ranged from 1-6 weeks of care each. The pottery studio continues to be an extremely busy place, with all classes through the summer full and most beginner classes in the fall full.

Nature preschool camp was full each week with 16 kids/2 staff. Kinderprep camp was also full each week with 10 kids/1 staff. Daycare was quiet with lots of families on summer vacation. Staff have secured 15 new families that will be starting this September. 12 children are leaving for kindergarten, 2 are moving to new daycares ($10 a day) and 1 is moving to WSPR’s 10-month preschool program. Daycare graduation was held on August 30th with all the graduating families invited for pictures, videos, cookies and tea. Saying goodbye was very hard for the staff as 2 of these families have been with WSPR since the JDF Daycare opened in September 2021.

The 2024/25 10-month preschool registrations continued to come in over August with enrollment numbers increasing. There have been staff recruiting challenges and postings for ECE and ECE A staff remain open. The program will be up and ready to go in early September.

The Game Ready drop-in program continued in August with average of 5-9 youth showing up for each Monday/Wednesday session and approximately 20-30 youth for the Friday night drop-in basketball.

3 Movies on the Hill events took place in August using the brand-new inflatable screen. Thanks to the City of Colwood and the City of Langford for sponsoring two of the events. Due to wind, the Cars movie showing was moved to the Indoor sports complex. Attendance ranged from 30-60 attendees.

WSPR attended three community special events in August, including the Langford Car Show, Music in the Park at Colwood Corners, and the Thrifty Foods Skatepark Throwdown competition in partnership with 94Forward. The skatepark event included prizes in both girls and boys categories for beginner and advanced skaters. Skaters of all ages and abilities enjoyed a great day of competition and the new sails over the picnic tables provided much needed shade on the day.

Aquatics
August in the pool remained steady. Lessons were incredibly successful. Camps continued to have lots of fun.

S.W.I.M. therapy, a group who offers specialized lessons for those on the autism spectrum, rented pool space for the summer and had such a great time that they would like to extend their programming into fall. Swim lessons for fall were programmed with 263 registrants with the intention of adding more. Registration for fall lessons took place on August 26th and 27th and saw 841 registrations.

In August, the benefits of a large staff team were realised, as many guards and instructors took holidays, but shifts remained filled and programming remained consistent. Staff were amazing at picking up extra time in the pool and managing days where fun swims and camp swims were very busy. With the pool closures occurring in the Greater Victoria area, staff are continually receiving more pool rental requests than can be accommodated as the pool is bursting at the seams to fit in all of the current user groups, who are also looking for more time and space.

The long-awaited return to action of the waterslide that has been down since April due to a failed pump is just around the corner. The custom-built pump has been shipped and is due to arrive mid-September. The replacement pump will be installed ASAP, and the waterslide will be back in operation.

Fitness and Weights
The free outdoor yoga sessions offered over the summer were well received by patrons including several patrons new to West Shore Parks and Recreation. They enjoyed a relaxing yoga class in the serenity of the beautiful outdoor grounds of West Shore Parks and Recreation Complex.

Drop-in Aquafit classes remained busy heading into August, with an average of 45 participants per class and a record 71 participants in one class at the beginning of August. The classes changed to a combo of shallow and deep water to accommodate instructor vacations. This allowed for more time for lane swimmers which made them very happy.

Personal training and rehabilitation sessions have increased over the last 2 years with 54 new personal training sessions purchased and 24 rehabilitation sessions purchased for July and August. The fitness department said farewell to a couple staff members heading back to school and welcomed 2 new staff members to the team.

Arena, Events, and Golf
Most of the lacrosse teams made playoffs this summer, with the Senior A Shamrocks concluding an 18-0 regular season, setting two records: most consecutive wins and the only undefeated season in the Western Lacrosse Association. The Junior B Tier 1 and Senior B teams made it to their respective national championships. The Junior B Tier 2 Bears won their first-round playoff series but lost in the second round. JDF minor lacrosse saw 2 teams make provincials and the U15A1’s won provincials.

The weather was great over the summer, with a few very hot days. Unfortunately, Victoria golfers are very fickle and when it is too hot, they don’t come to play golf. The hot stretch cost some rounds in July. Total rounds were 8,550 compared to 10,952 in 2023.

Ice-in for the JDF arena took place at the end of June. Rentals in July were up compared to 2023. The skate team offered public sessions which were a nice option for people to get out of the heat and into the rink.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The low-cost Roving Play Parks camp was based out of Hans Helgesen, Willway and John Stubbs’ schools as well as Centennial Park in August. Roving was extremely successful this summer offering 40 spots per week compared to 25 last year. In August, registration was near full in roving with a total of 158 campers. WSPR also provided StoryWalk and Neighbourhood Nights sessions each week in August. The feedback continues to be extremely positive regarding staff interactions and customer service.

---

Grant Brown, Administrator

• WSPR received great feedback from the BMX nationals last weekend.
• 2 movie circuses have rented WSPR parking lots.
• August registrations went smoothly with less than 0.5% payment processing errors.

b) Pickleball court project update
Grant Brown, administrator, commented on the following:

• The members have approved the use of WSPR reserve funds for the project.
• Staff have applied for a federal grant that will cover up to 50% of the project costs. Staff have confirmed that any costs incurred prior to the grant award will not be eligible for coverage; however, will not impede WSPR’s ability to be successful in its application.
• The RFP is currently being reviewed with a planned issue date of October 15th, 2024. A press release is being developed and will be released closer to the RFP issue date.

The board inquired about the status of infrastructure at Centennial Centre and it was decided to move the discussion in camera.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS GUIRY AND DONALDSON THAT THE REPORTS BE RECEIVED AS PRESENTED.
CARRIED

IN CAMERA

10. THAT there is a need to have a meeting closed to the public and persons other than the West Shore Parks & Recreation Board of Directors and staff, and those identified under Part III, Section B of the Board policy manual shall be excluded on the basis of sections 1.(1)(g) administrative tribunal hearing AND 1.(1)(j) proposed provision of a service.

WSPR staff left the meeting at 7:01PM.

ADJOURNMENT

12. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS GUIRY AND ANDERSON THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED AT 7:34PM.
    CARRIED