Minutes of the West Shore Parks and Recreation Society Board of Directors meeting held March 11, 2021
Meeting minutes from the West Shore Parks and Recreation Society board meeting.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Minutes of the West Shore Parks and Recreation Society Board of Directors Meeting Thursday, March 11th, 2021 via Microsoft Teams
PRESENT: Directors Damian Kowalewich (chair), Kyara Kahakauwila, Stewart Parkinson, Leslie Anderson, Roger Wade
ABSENT: N/A
STAFF PRESENT:
- Grant Brown, Administrator
- Wade Davies, Manager of Operations
- Geoff Welham, Manager of Recreation
- Ben Currie, Manager of Finance and Administration
- April Luchinski, Human Resources Advisor
- Bryan Wood, Parks Supervisor
- Chantelle Bremner, Recorder
PUBLIC PRESENT: N/A
CALL TO ORDER
- The chair called the meeting to order at 5:32pm.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
- MOVED/SECONDED BY WADE AND PARKINSON THAT THE AGENDA BE APPROVED AS AMENDED WITH THE MOVEMENT OF 8.A) INTO IN CAMERA. CARRIED
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
- MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS PARKINSON AND ANDERSON THAT THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING HELD FEBRUARY 18TH, 2021 BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. NO ERRORS, NO OMMISIONS CARRIED
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
- N/A
CHAIR’S REMARKS
- Damian Kowalewich, chair commented on the following:
- The chair shared appreciation for staff’s continued work.
STANDING COMMITTEES
- N/A
OLD BUSINESS
- N/A
NEW BUSINESS
8.
a) Parks Presentation
Bryan Wood, parks supervisor presented a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the staff and park grounds.
There was a board comment that asked if the lawn bowls and velodrome could be used again for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
WSPR staff commented that with some funding, both venues could receive the necessary upgrades and maintenance for use in competition.
The board thanked Bryan Wood for his presentation.
b) City of Colwood Parks & Recreation Master Plan
Grant Brown, administrator highlighted the following:
- The City of Colwood is looking for feedback from the board and staff on the draft of their Parks & Recreation Master Plan.
The board discussed the document and indicated that the master plan contained useful information for WSPR.
- WSPR staff are open to working with the City of Colwood and other municipalities on all parks and recreation efforts and be utilized as each municipality’s recreation department.
The board representative for View Royal expressed interest in working with WPSR on various recreation and parks efforts in the future.
The board representative for the City of Langford expressed that a park needs assessment is currently being developed and will be completed in late spring.
- WSPR staff will be addressing a regional parks and recreation master plan in 2022.
MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS WADE AND ANDERSON THAT 8.A) AND 8.B) REPORTS BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED
FOR INFORMATION
9.
a) JDF Arena improvement project
Wade Davies, manager of operations highlighted the following:
- The project is on schedule.
- Approved-funding will allow for the renovation of the stands. Approved-funding will also allow for rough-ins to be laid for the future renovation of the snow pit which will use free heat.
b) JDF Childcare Centre project
Geoff Welham, manager of recreation highlighted the following:
- 40% of the space has been drywalled.
- The inspector has signed off on all electrical and plumbing.
- The project is on budget with $370,000 remaining in the contingency fund.
- Work on the exterior staircase will begin soon.
- Demo on the garden and parking lot space will begin next week to prepare for the build of the outdoor play space.
- The project is on schedule.
c) Statistics Report
Grant Brown, administrator highlighted the following:
In addition to the report provided to the board of directors, the following comments were made:
- Drop-in users are the number one users of the facility and JDF Soccer is the second. WSPR staff continue to consider these patrons when decisions are made.
d) Administrator’s Report
Grant Brown, administrator highlighted the following.
Administration/Human Resources
Staff from many departments continue to work on the recreation software replacement project. The project is going well and remains on schedule for a conversion rollout in late August. The project to replace the WSPR website has begun, with the issuing of an RFP on the BCBid website. The competition closes March 31st. The intention is to have the new WSPR website completed in order to bring it online with the conversion date of the new recreation software.
The human resources team rolled out a Recover at Work program to be used when employees are injured at work. The program provides a framework for the employee, supervisor, HR and the employee’s physician to work together to ensure the injured employee is able to return to regular duties as soon as possible.
The finance team is deep into the 2020 year-end process, preparing the financial statements and ensuring they are ready for the auditors who will begin their work the second week of March.
Operations
Maintenance
Crews continue to refine the new pool dehumidifier and its energy recovery system to ensure its optimal operation and heat recovery. The Q Centre snow melt pit has undergone a refurbishment beginning February 22nd.
Finishing touches were completed for the new pottery studio at Centennial Centre, including storage shelves, tabletops and wire racks.
A lift was rented which allowed staff to power wash the cladding on the administration side of the JDF Arena exterior, replace the lights in the Q centre score clock, and prune many of the trees on our site.
Parks
Crews have been upgrading the irrigation software and controllers as well as deep tine aerating the fields. Even with the recent snow and heavy rain, the fields are faring well, as overall usage was down in 2020 compared to previous years.
The golf course is wet, however remains very busy. There has been a marked increase in court use during 2020, which continues into this year, in particular for pickleball use.
Parks crews worked diligently to clear sidewalks, roadways and parking lots during the recent snowfall. The staff at the VIHA testing site expressed gratitude for their hard work.
Programs
Community Recreation
Community recreation staff have began planning for 2021 summer camps, which includes the posting of summer camp leader and inclusion positions.
An application was submitted to the Government of Canada Summer Jobs program for funds to subsidize a number of summer camp jobs along with 3 parks positions and 2 aquatic positions.
Staff took part in a meeting with Sangster Elementary School for their Active Safe Travel project. WSPR was asked to partner as we pick up children from the school for our Afterschool Care program and have witnessed a number of traffic concerns in the area.
The process for 'registering' for daycare spaces began on February 1st. Interested families could submit a letter of interest between Feb 1st - Feb 28th. Applications will be reviewed and successful applicants will be offered a spot by April 15th. Spots will be allocated based on licensing requirements and a mix of ages. Final registrations cannot be taken until the operating license has been issued. As of February 25th, 40 letters of interest have been submitted for the new daycare.
Afterschool Care registration began on February 1st for current ASC families requiring full time (5 days per week) care. Registration for new families requiring full-time care began February 22nd and by February 25th all 138 spots were filled. This is an increase of 40 additional registered spots over the 2020/2021 year thanks to grant funding.
We received notification regarding our Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP) grant application for the skate park project and unfortunately were unsuccessful. The funders indicated that significantly more applications were received than can be funded. We are still hopeful of our chances for the Investing in Canadian Infrastructure Program that will fund 65% of the $1,075,000 project cost. Decision on our application is expected by August this year.
Aquatics, Fitness and Weights
Pool operations are well underway, with the full schedule of reservable drop-in use commencing on February 1st. The re-opening has been well received by the community; swimmers are grateful to be back and appreciative of safety protocols. Reservable sessions include lane swimming, AquaFit, leisure, and family swim. All sessions for February and March are full.
Family swims are the most in demand, and all sessions have substantial waitlists. An additional 20 family swims are being added over spring break to provide more families with the opportunity to enjoy the pool.
Registration for phase 1 of swimming lessons took place on January 7th, and all available classes were full within 90 minutes. Lessons began the week of February 1st, and the format of private class bookings is working well. While many families have opted to use their class as a private or semi private lesson, a large number of families have invited one or two others to join their session, creating a small-group lesson.
The West Shore Masters Swim Club program remains suspended under the current Public Health Order. To support the health and wellbeing of adult swimmers, staff modified the pool schedule to replace this program time with reservable lane swimming. As soon as the PHO allow, the program will be reinstated, as it is an important program for the swimming community.
Youth swim clubs are able to operate within the current guidelines, and there are currently 3 different clubs operating out of the pool, booking a total of 21 hours of space a week.
Planning for the April-June pool season is well underway. The schedule for reservable “drop-in” sessions will be expanded and capacities increased as the budget and Public Health Orders allow. Phase 2 of swimming lessons will be introduced in April, which consists of modified group lessons in addition to the continuation of private class bookings. An additional 7 pool staff will be recalled for April to support the expansion of the lesson program.
The Generation Health Family Healthy Living program is running virtually this winter with 6 families registered. This is a free program for families with children aged 8 to 12-years-old who want to be on a healthy weight and lifestyle path. It is entirely funded through grants and offered in partnership with the Provincial Government, Childhood Obesity Foundation and the University of Victoria. The majority of families participating in the West Shore program are referred by their family doctors, and the virtual format has allowed families from as far as Duncan and Saltspring Island to participate.
Sports
Netflix is returning to film the last scene in the Kids Cottage beginning February 24th for 1 week. As well, WSPR maintenance staff removed the ISC turf for the first time to accommodate the additional request from Netflix to use the space to build 2 different sets.
The golf course had a snowy mid-February but it is looking to get back on track for March.
Fun fact: the sports team managed to increase youth ice programs in the Q for the remainder of 2020 and matched the revenue from 2019 with only having one arena from mid-March onwards.
Bookings in both the arenas, ISC, and fields are gearing up for spring and there is hopes that restrictions for adult play will be lifted soon. The ISC has had volleyball, basketball, baseball, and softball going on regularly. The lacrosse user groups have their fingers crossed that the PHO will loosen some of the restrictions so they are able to have a season.
Food & Beverage
On February 25th, the Salvation Army was onsite for another food hamper pickup. The SA purchased 300 of our community meals for this delivery for donation to the community. The food hamper pickup occurs during the last week of the month when the food bank is closed.
On March 25th, the Salvation Army will be onsite for another food hamper pickup.
In March, due to the inability to offer catering services under the PHO health order, we will be closing the Fieldhouse catering kitchen for the duration of 2021, with the hope of re-opening in January 2022. Staff have been reassigned in other roles for the remainder of the year.
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
Grant Brown, administrator added to the written report:
- WSPR was not successful in receiving the 100%-funded grant for the build of the skatepark. Staff are waiting on the results from the second grant that will require the municipal owners to contribute a small percentage.
- Spring and summer registration began this morning, two weeks earlier than normally due to a number of strategic reasons. In 2019, registrations for the same programs totalled $295,000. Today’s registration numbers, as of 4pm, totalled $280,000.
MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS PARKINSON AND ANDERSON THAT THE REPORTS FOR 9.A), 9.B), AND 9.C) ARE RECEIVED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED
IN CAMERA
- MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS ANDERSON AND PARKINSON THAT THE MEETING MOVE IN CAMERA AND THAT STAFF BE EXCUSED APART FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR AND RECORDER. CARRIED
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 section 3.(2) of the board policy shall be excluded on the basis of section 1.(1)(c) labour relations or other employee relations;
WSPR STAFF LEFT THE MEETING AT 6:23PM.
ADJOURNMENT
- MOVED/SECONDED BY WADE AND PARKINSON THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED AT 6:44PM. CARRIED