MINUTES OF THE WEST SHORE PARKS AND RECREATION SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

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

Thursday, April 13th, 2023, in the Westshore Room

PRESENT: Directors Leslie Anderson (via Teams), Shelly Donaldson, Kimberly Guiry (via Teams), and Dean Janzten

ABSENT: Director Damian Kowalewich

STAFF PRESENT: Grant Brown, administrator Ron Dietrich, manager of operations Geoff Welham, manager of recreation Wei Wu, manager of finance and administration Erin Pirot, arena and events programmer April Luchinski, manager of human resources Chantelle Bremner, recorder

STAFF ABSENT: N/A

PUBLIC PRESENT: Pat Ford, JDF Senior’s Association Lenora Lee, KPMG Sarah Burden, KPMG

CALL TO ORDER

1. The chair called the meeting to order at 5:31pm.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

2. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS GUIRY AND ANDERSON THAT THE AGENDA BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

3. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS DONALDSON AND GUIRY THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING HELD MARCH 9TH, 2023, BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. NO ERRORS, NO OMMISIONS. CARRIED

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

4. Pat Ford, President of the JDF Senior’s Association commented that she was re-elected to the position of president for another year. The association currently has 1,127 members; 319 of which are new since January 2023.

CHAIR’S REMARKS

5. N/A

STANDING COMMITTEES

6. N/A

OLD BUSINESS

7. N/A

NEW BUSINESS

8. a) Arena and events department presentation

Erin Pirot presented a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the following:

• Oversee
  • Arenas, bookings, skating programs, birthday parties, special events, food and beverage services
• Facilities
  • The Q Centre Arena, JDF Arena, golf course, outdoor fields, indoor sports complex, bookings for all areas
  • Food and beverage, Q Centre Arena Concessions, Fieldhouse kitchen, café, JDF Arena Liquor license
• Statistics
  • Golf, lessons, arena use, ISC use, growth of events
• Arena and Events Team
  • Rob Wilson – Coordinator
  • Erin Pirot – Programmer
  • Le Vu – Team Lead
  • Glen Klassen – Sport Bookings
  • Hope Peden – Facility Bookings
• Staff
  • The department looks after over 60 RPT and aux staff members
• Facility Hours Booked
  • 2020
    • 1,125 hours in the ISC
    • 4,661 hours on the fields
    • 5,813 hours in the arenas
  • 2021
    • 2,938 hours in the ISC
    • 22,626 hours on the fields
    • 7,793 hours in the arenas
  • 2022
    • 3,291 hours in the ISC
    • 12,774 hours in the fields
    • 8,615 hours in the arenas
  • *COVID affected these numbers in 2020. There was an increase in 2021 due to the rental by Netflix for two shows and the vaccination clinic in the JDF 55+ Activity Centre.
• Revenue Per Facility
  • 2020
    • $56,185 for the ISC
    • $56,629 for the fields
    • $482,600 for the arenas
  • 2021
    • $107,413 for the ISC
    • $123,367 for the fields
    • $600,641 for the arenas
  • 2022
    • $188,624 for the ISC
    • $225,000 for the fields
    • $1,035,241 for the arenas
• Q Centre Arena Events
  • Victoria Shamrocks Sr. and Jr.
  • Victoria Grizzlies
  • Victoria Wolves
  • Slegg Pro Show
• 2022 Events
  • Judo Provincials
  • Home Show
  • BC Hockey’s Program of Excellence
  • BC Senior Games
  • Layedout Show and Shine
• Arena Programs
  • Lessons offered – 790 hours = over 3,200 children annually
  • Private lessons – 97 hours
  • Public skate hours – 520 hours
  • Winter Wonderland – annual December event – 22 private bookings - $5,300 in revenue
  • PowerWest Athletics – Mena Westhaver – high performance power skating classes & camps
  • South Island Ravens – Gus Ascroft – hockey for people with developmental disabilities
  • Sledge hockey – Zack Zitek – learn to play sledge hockey program with SportAbility BC
• Arena Program Registration
  • Number of registrants:
    • 2015
      • Approx. 450 in preschool lessons
      • Approx. 550 in school age lessons
    • 2016
      • Approx. 575 in preschool lessons
      • Approx. 550 in school age lessons
    • 2018
      • Approx. 500 in preschool lessons
      • Approx. 575 in school age lessons
      • Approx. 700 in PowerWest Athletics
    • 2019
      • Approx. 595 in preschool lessons
      • Approx. 650 in school age lessons
      • Approx. 775 in PowerWest Athletics
    • 2020
      • Approx. 175 in preschool lessons
      • Approx. 190 in school age lessons
      • Approx. 10,10 in PowerWest Athletics
    • 2021
      • Approx. 300 in preschool lessons
      • Approx. 250 in school age lessons
      • Approx. 1,375 in PowerWest Athletics
    • 2022
      • Approx. 600 in preschool lessons
      • Approx. 410 in school age lessons
      • Approx. 950 in PowerWest Athletics
• JDF Golf Course
  • The number of rounds per years is weather-dependent
  • The rounds played for 2021 was just over 40,000 – the highest it’s been since 2004.
• Q Centre Arena Concessions and Bars
  • Victoria Shamrocks
    • 2019 - generated a net revenue of $108,239 and total sales of $224,299
    • 2022 – generated a net revenue of $77,589 and total sales of $131,791
  • Victoria Grizzlies
    • 2018/2019 – generated a net revenue of $38,218 and total sales of $122,880
    • 2022/2023 – generated a net revenue of $36,581 and total sales of $123,837
  • *The increase in total sales for the Victoria Shamrocks in 2019 was due to the Mann Cup Tournament.
• Birthday parties
  • Previously looked after by the community recreation department but as of 2023 it is looked after by the events department.
• Conclusion
  • Looking forward to seeing the feasibility study being done by Saanich for the need for more arenas. At WSPR, we have a shortage of ice in the peak hours and often turn away inquiries. With more programmable ice time, we could offer and sell more ice programs and private lessons to the community.
    • The average usage is 1 arena per 15,000 people. In Victoria, it’s 1 arena per 28,000 people.
  • Staffing is an ongoing challenge in this market, which is resulting in the lack of food services available at the Q Centre Arena for events.
  • Currently working on the RFPs for the café, Fieldhouse kitchen and we’re looking into the possibility of someone to taking over the Q Centre Arena concessions so that we can better service our lease holders.
  • WSPR is interested in attracting more tradeshows and large events. The ideal time for this is between May and June, when both arenas have dry floor, and we can schedule the ISC turf to be out. By setting a booking window, and a starting place for fees, we could market the space and simplify bookings for the clerks.

ARENA/EVENTS STAFF LEFT THE MEETING AT 5:49 PM.

8. b) 2022 Auditor’s report

Lenora Lee and Sarah Burden, KPMG commented on the following:

• 2022 Audit Highlights
  • No outstanding matters and is considered a clean unqualified report with no material errors.
  • The following changes in accounting standards were noted:
    • There is an upcoming change to the reporting standards for asset retirement obligations and is effective for fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2022.
    • There is a new revenue reporting standard effective for fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2023.
    • The retirement benefits standard, and post-employment benefits, compensated absences and termination benefits standard will be reviewed and the new standards will be effective for fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2626.
    • The new public private partnerships standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2023.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS DONALDSON AND ANDERSON THAT THE 2022 AUDIT REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS BE APPROVED. CARRIED

LENORA LEE AND SARAH BURDEN LEFT THE MEETING AT 6:14PM.

8. c) Emergency Use of Facilities

Grant brown, administrator, highlighted the following:

• The City of Colwood has requested a renewal of the current MOU regarding emergency use of facilities. Staff are supportive of continuing the relationship with the City of Colwood and renewing the MOU for a ten-year term.
  • The MOU states that in the event of an emergency or disaster that leads to the municipality establishing an Emergency Operating Centre (EOC), it is common practice that many municipal buildings be designated and used in a coordinated response to the emergency.
  • The use by the City of Colwood may prevent program use and reduce WSPRS’ program and rental offerings, resulting in a reduction of expected revenue and therefore an increase in the overall net expenditure for the year.
  • Due to the ownership and funding model of WSPR-owned land and infrastructure, the City of Colwood’s use of WSPRS’ facilities during an emergency may result in an increase to each municipalities’ annual requisition required to prevent WPSRS from operating in a deficit. The Operating, Maintenance and Management Agreement dictates that WSPRS shall not operate at a deficit without prior approval of the municipalities.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS ANDERSON AND DONALDSON THAT THE MOU BE RENEWED WITH A TEN-YEAR TERM. CARRIED

FOR INFORMATION

9. a) Skatepark update

Ron Dietrich, commented on the following:

• Project is paid in full and is on budget; 49% of the funding is from a government grant
• The foundation work and the rest of the project will be completed by next week
• WSPR will look after the landscaping
• Grand opening scheduled for May 13th at 1pm

9. b) Annual energy use report

Ron Dietrich, manager of operations, highlighted the following:

• Lowering energy consumption from both an environmental and cost savings viewpoint remains a priority for WSPRS. Over time, WSPRS has upgraded equipment to more energy efficient models, replacing lighting with LED units, expanding its Direct Digital Control system coverage to include the JDF Library and Centennial Centre, and adding heat recovery units to the pool air handling unit and most recently the JDF Arena ice plant. These changes have helped WSPRS offset rising utility costs.
• A common method to evaluate the environmental impacts on energy consumption with a building is Heating Degree Days which are the number of days that outside temperatures fall below 18 degrees Celsius, thus requiring building heat. The calculation is based on the mean average for the day and the distance from 18 degrees and can be summed over time. The increase will cause both gas and electricity costs to rise.

Grant Brown, administrator, and Ron Dietrich, manager of operations, commented on the following:

• Looking at more ways to reclaim heat from the arena to the pool boilers
• Would like to provide tangible statistics showing what the energy usage is per person
• Investigating peak demand charges and staggering start times of the Direct Digital Controls
• Changed the lights in the Q Centre Arena to LED
• Maximizing the heat pump in the JDF Arena to keep more heat in
• Switching 5 air handling units over to heat pumps to be more efficient

9. c) Administrator’s report

Grant Brown, administrator, commented on the following:

Administration/Human Resources

The Skatepark work is moving forward despite the snow, cold temperatures, and demand for concrete. The finishing touches such as picnic tables and benches have arrived onsite. The logistics of moving two 2,500 lb granite benches into place are being discussed and the date for the grand opening is being looked at for mid to late May. The project remains on budget in part due to great collaboration between WSPR staff, the contractor and donations of work provided by local construction companies.

A few procurement opportunities are currently in process. The Pool/Fitness Roof Invitation to Quote and the Pickleball Court Construction study Request for Proposal (RFP) closed at the end of March and submissions are being reviewed. The Café and Preferred Catering Service RFPs close the first week of April. Recently, an RFP for the provision of multisport programs and a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to operate concessions in the Q Centre Arena have gone online. The RFEI for concession operation is noncommittal and is being used to “test the waters” as staff continue to struggle with the recruitment of staff for this area.

For the first part of April, the finance team will be completing the 2022 year-end audit, financial statements, and the presentation of statements to the board in conjunction with KPMG. The remainder of April will see the team focusing on catching up on 2023’s priorities and the 2022 Annual Report.

The human resources manager will be conducting another supervisor training session in April, covering how to provide feedback to staff. The HR team participated in the rollout of the Most Valuable You (MVYou) program with marketing to aid in staff recognition and retention. Over the next few weeks, HR will be focusing on statistics to prepare for the 2022 Annual Report as well as developing an HR dashboard that will provide supervisors and management accurate tracking of attrition, head counts, unplanned employee absences and recruitment to be reported on monthly.

Operations

Maintenance

Maintenance was busy with some unexpected issues this past month which included a fire panel failure in the Fieldhouse. For a few weeks, staff were required to stay on fire watch within the building until the new panel and field devices could be installed. Maintenance also noticed slight fluctuations in the chlorine in the pools and found the chemical controllers on the hot tub and leisure pool had worn out sensor caps which have now been replaced. The pool hot water tank for the lifeguard showers/sinks and first aid room failed; it too has been replaced. The hot tub heat exchanger sprung two separate leaks on the fittings leading in and out on the pool side. The entire unit needed to be dismantled and a section of the gasket repaired (the copper fittings were rebuilt as well). The pool main air handling unit had a control source issue that was preventing it from running based on the freeze stat, this was repaired. Lastly, the sump heater in the Q Centre Arena cooling tower had a dead short, the heater was taken out of the circuit to prevent this issue moving forward.

New lockdown procedures have been implemented on the afternoon and night shift, as well as a new elevator lockout. These changes have been put into place to prevent the public entering closed and restricted areas. As we tighten security, keys have been inventoried and spare sets are under lock and key themselves.

The temporary over ice flooring from the Q Centre Arena was test installed in the JDF Arena and issues were found with the boards not being square. A full test install will need to happen next ice season. The plan was to use the Q Centre Arena flooring in the JDF Arena when needed but the configurations do not match exactly, and some boards will need to be purchased and modified to accommodate. Maintenance completed renovations on the Fieldhouse washrooms to ensure we meet the Skatepark grant requirements. The Fieldhouse also underwent a full shut down where small aesthetic repairs were made to the floors, walls, and counters, and all spaces were thoroughly cleaned. The ISC netting repair was completed so that the vertical string keeps the bottom skirt high enough to not to interfere with programs. A more permanent fix will eventually be to upgrade to braided steel during the shutdown.

Parks

The mechanic has all the mowing equipment ready for the spring and the seasonal increase in field work and will be working on the 4053 bus and utility carts. Currently equipment is being used to complete the seventh hole tee renovations as its now rough shaped and staff are starting the final grade. Renovations also continue in the lawn bowls as the team has finished the plinths and back boards on 3 of the 4 greens and should be finished by the end of March. Aeration of the greens is scheduled for mid to end of April, weather dependent.

Ball diamond work has started and prepping for spring includes repairs to the fencing at the diamonds. Work has also started on the infields and the transition lips. Fields 2 and 3 are finished for the year and staff will be starting to do annual renovations.

There was an issue with the sewage line down to the parks yard, causing it to back up and not flow. Staff cleared it, and parks will be looking at scoping the sewer lines to determine their condition.

Summer auxiliary staff are being short listed and will be in place for the coming season as work ramps up for the growing season. As of March 20th, the site has received 1.24 inches of rain. This is 44% of average rainfall for the month. The temperatures have been all over the map creating inconsistent and poor growing conditions.

Programs

Community Recreation

Spring break camp numbers were full with waitlists. 333 kids registered for camps over the 2-week break, which was an increase of 39 kids over 2022. Camps included licensed care, Kinderprep, Horseback Riding, Tech camps, sports camps and Forest Camp.

The partnership was renewed with Royal Bay and Gable Craft homes which includes an $1,800 grant for the “2023 Neighbourhood Nights program” which will occur weekly in the summer. This program encourages neighbours to engage with one another at the Meadow Park. Last year we saw upwards of 50 families participate each week. As well, the partnership with the CRD continues. Twice during the summer, the CRD will again host the StoryWalk at a Westshore park location. On these nights, the CRD provides the interpreters and an interactive nature display with a book that complements it. This partnership is also beneficial as both organizations market the program through their networks.

Programs are having great success with the French music contract. Two times per week, a French teacher leads 20 minutes of music, singing and games in French with all the 10-month preschool programs and daycare. She is fantastic and is it is so great to hear the preschoolers singing French in the hallways and classrooms.

Staff launched a new app for childcare families called “Hi Mama”, and it is being received so well by all the daycare families. Families get to see real time pictures and videos of their kids during the day. Parents communicate each day with sign in or letting us know their child is sick and not coming for the day. Staff can post pictures, videos and updates for the parents. The feedback has been amazing.

Aspiring Artists Art Parties were full to capacity in March and almost fully booked in April. Programs offered include Splatter Paint, Pottery, Glow in the Dark Painting, Polymer Clay and Canvas painting parties! The Aspiring Artists Easter Bunnies Pottery class was so popular, two extra classes were added in order to accommodate the huge waitlists! As well, staff are excited to bring on 3 new pottery volunteers to the team.

Fitness and Weights

The Take Heart and Breathe Well Cardiac Pulmonary Rehabilitation program continues to grow since it restarted with 12 participants in the program and 7 participants in the continuing maintenance program. Clients are referred to the program directly from their cardiologist in connection with Island Health referrals.

A new Aqua Zumba program that was added in the fall and continues to see growing success. The program started with only 4 participants and now has an average of 24 participants registered. The program highlights the growing demand for more evening AquaFit-based programs.

Staff added a youth fitness program called “Youth Fitness Foundations” which successfully ran for the first time since it was introduced. The program is designed to create a healthy lifestyle foundation with a focus on physical literacy skills, strength & cardio conditioning, speed and agility through exercises, games, and activities.

The fitness department welcomed a new hire for group fitness classes to help with the growing demand for added classes and staff coverage. AquaFit instructor staffing continues to pose a challenge with very few Instructors available regionally. A Regional AquaFit Foundations course was offered in early March hosted by Panorama Recreation Centre in efforts to train and recruit more instructors.

Aquatics

In March, the winter 2023 swimming lesson set concluded as well as a lifesaving program (Bronze Cross). 3 lifeguard and swim instructors were successfully interviewed, and 3 more junior instructors are scheduled for interviews in the coming weeks with the hope to have them starting in time for the spring lesson set.

Recently some accessibility challenges were experienced with failing lift motors, and during this month, staff accessed the accessibility needs and systems. Staff worked with occupational therapists and an accessibility equipment company (HME) to make improvements. A new lift motor system has been added to pool deck to improve the lift’s reliability and has performed well in its first use.

Over spring break, the pool has been busy with fun swims and rental groups. With no swimming lessons during the break, staff took the opportunity to test a new employee scheduling application. So far, it has reduced much administrative time on covering vacant shifts and communicating common scheduling changes to staff. Staff will report on it to management in more detail soon and are very excited about its potential.

Arena, Events and Golf

Congratulations go out to JDF Minor Hockey Teer 1 Grizzlies who won the Island Finals and are off to Provincials in Salmon Arm. They were the only JDF minor team to qualify for provincials. As the JDF minor hockey season is winding down, spring hockey in the Q Centre Arena has been scheduled with the Wolves and Grizzlies identification camps booked for April. Bookings staff have sent out the spring and summer contracts for all facilities as staff prepare for the transition of seasons. The Grizzlies Pride Night saw the addition of a new gender-neutral washroom in the Q Centre Arena with new signage and dividers added for privacy, this washroom will be available for all future events.

The golf course saw 1,091 rounds in a snowy February, and March started off with snow leaving the course closed for the 1st and 2nd. March has been a cold month resulting in rounds being down compared to previous weeks, however still managed 1,643 rounds as of March 20th.

PowerWest spring break camps were nearly full. The skateshop has wound down as the ice removal began at the end of March, marking the start of the dry floor season and the return of lacrosse.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The JDF Seniors Association has now reached a membership of 1,098 members which is closing in on the pre-COVID numbers of 1,200. Their AGM was moved to April due to the snow in March.

Through a partnership with Thrive, staff held their first youth dinner. It took place on March 10th, following the Friday Night Youth Swim. The swim had record breaking attendance of 150 youth. The ISC was full, with all areas being used for sporting activities. The dinner saw 53 youth preregistered with drop-in dinners available. The final tally saw 101 youth fed a delicious free meal of hot soup, premade and build your own sandwiches, water and bubbly water.

Prior to the Grizzlies final 2022/23 regular season game on March 25th, WSPR staff joined MLA Mitzi Dean and representatives from the Grizzlies, Shamrocks and Wolves to sign the Period Promise which will see feminine hygiene products made available for the public at no cost in the WSPR facilities. Dispensers will be installed throughout the spring, to be fully in place by the summer.

Grant Brown, administrator verbally added to the report:

• The quote for the replacement of the pool roof came in $150,000 less than what was budgeted. Will apply the surplus to other projects.
• David Hewko was the successful proponent of the Outdoor Pickleball Study RFP
• During the last three registration days, there was a large number of payment errors. Cause is unknown and staff are diligently working with the software application to figure out the reason for future registration days. If patrons inputted payment info, their spot was secured while staff completed baskets behind the scenes and were contacted for payment.
  • There was an overall 19% increase in registration this year compared to last year.

IN CAMERA

10. N/A

ADJOURNMENT

11. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS GUIRY AND DONALDSON THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED AT 6:34PM. CARRIED