Minutes of the West Shore Parks and Recreation Society Board of Directors Meeting - October 8, 2020

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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

Thursday, October 8th, 2020 at Colwood Municipal Hall

PRESENT: Directors Kyara Kahakauwila (chair), Stewart Parkinson, Leslie Anderson, Roger Wade

ABSENT: Director Damian Kowalewich

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
• Bobbi Neal, Community Development
• Chantelle Bremner, Recorder

PUBLIC PRESENT: N/A

CALL TO ORDER

1. The chair called the meeting to order at 5:39pm.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

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

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

3. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS PARKINSON AND ANDERSON THAT THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING HELD SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2020 BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. NO ERRORS, NO OMMISIONS CARRIED

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

4. N/A

CHAIR’S REMARKS

5. The chair thanked the WSPRS staff for the easy-to-understand budget report in the finance committee meeting.

STANDING COMMITTEES

6. a) Finance Committee Finance committee chair, Director Stewart Parkinson commented on the following: The finance committee is currently reviewing the draft 2021 budget and staff are making a few changes after its review today.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS WADE AND ANDERSON THAT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED.

OLD BUSINESS

7. a) EV Stations Manager of finance and administration, Ben Currie commented on the following: Based on recent research, many municipalities are making the switch from offering a free EV station charging service to a payment charging service. More information has been requested from the City of Colwood before presenting further information. Early research favours WSPRS taking over the ownership and maintenance of both of the EV stations located in front of the library and upgrading them to a paid service. The City of Colwood has committed to upgrading one of the stations while WSPR would upgrade the other.

It was mentioned by staff when asked by the board, that an upgrade to a paid service station costs $20,000.

b) Grant Application for Skatepark Development WSPR community development staff member, Bobbi Neal commented on the following: WSPR has applied for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program – Community, Culture and Recreation grant. WSPRS staff require a board resolution to complete the application. The resolution must state that the WSPRS board supports the grant application and commits to its share of the project valued at $376,250.

If successful in receiving the grant funding, the original monetary ask from each municipality will be lowered by 20%.

The grant aims to create infrastructure projects that offer free outdoor activities that communities can enjoy while many restrictions have been put in place due to COVID-19. A skatepark was sited as an example of the perfect infrastructure project.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS PARKINSON AND ANDERSON THAT THE WSPRS BOARD OF DIRECTORS SUPPORTS STAFF’S APPLICATION FOR THE CANADA INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM – COMMUNITY, CULTURE, AND RECREATION GRANT AND COMMITS TO ITS SHARE OF THE PROJECT VALUED AT $376,250.00 CARRIED

Administrator, Grant Brown commented on the following: WSPRS staff would like to apply for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program: COVID-19 Resilience stream grant which would support 100% of the project costs.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS PARKINSON AND WADE THAT THE WSPRS BOARD OF DIRECTORS SUPPORTS STAFF’S APPLICATION FOR THE INVESTING IN CANADA INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM: COVID-19 RESILIENCE STREAM GRANT. CARRIED

c) Library Lease Agreement Administrator, Grant Brown commented on the following: There will be no impact on the requisition ask each year. Funds will be received directly for the maintenance services WSPRS provides the library.

The capital funding, originally held in trust by the library will now be held in trust by WSPR.

NEW BUSINESS

8. N/A

FOR INFORMATION

9. a) JDF Arena Improvement Project Manager of operations, Wade Davies commented on the following: Updates include:

• The schematic design is 100% completed and the design development is 50% completed.
• A new ice pit is being added outside the Zamboni bay.
• The updated seating will include a total of 598 seats.
• The players’ benches will be re-located to the same side as the stands.

The Westshore Wolves have expressed interest in re-locating from the Q Arena to the JDF Arena once the upgrades have been completed. Construction will most likely begin mid-December/early January 2021.

b) JDF Childcare Centre Project Manager of recreation, Geoff Welham commented on the following: Construction manager is Heatherbrae Builders. The core team is complete with sub-contractors in the areas of architecture, electrical, plumbing, landscaping, sprinklers, and kitchen design.

Sprinklers were not included in the preliminary considerations for this project, but are now being included, which will bring the building up to code.

Drawings will be completed for early November.

The Hazmat and Demo request for quotation is out to tender currently. The parks department has started demolition on the gardens that will become the outdoor play space.

c) Administrator’s Report Administrator, Grant Brown commented on the following:

Administration/Human Resources The evaluation of the Recreation Management Software RFP is reaching its conclusion. Staff have found reaching the vendor-provided references challenging as many organizations have reduced their staffing levels, leading to delays in responses to our questions.

The review and adjustment of our Working from Home Policy is underway to account for child care challenges and illness due to the new standards schools put in place, as well as evolving WorkSafe standards in response to COVID-19.

58 of the 196 auxiliary staff that were laid off due to Covid-19 have been brought back to work.

Operations Maintenance In the past month, maintenance has been working hard on the two grant projects currently underway. Reviewing plans and making recommendations for both projects to ensure we are considering the practical operating needs for the future.

The Q Center condenser reached the end of its life and was replaced recently which gave us the opportunity to replace some aging portions of the electrical system attached to this unit and also add some new ammonia valves to make the system safer. A shaft and bearing issue on compressor #1 required a shut down and the replacement of some parts. The brine pony pump for the refrigeration system has also reached the end of its life and was replaced.

The ducting, piping, controls and electric work was completed on the pool's new air handling unit with the energy recovery portion of the system currently being assembled. With the pool currently closed, staff have taken advantage of the time to have some of the pumps and other portions of the mechanical system serviced and cleaned up. Plans have been put into place to replace the leisure pool's main filtration system as this piece of equipment has reached the end of its life.

A new and more reliable air conditioning unit was installed in the server room to ensure it is kept at an optimal temperature.

The JDF Arena has had some vital work done on the refrigeration system including the replacement of outdated valves and piping. This has made the system safer to work on and maintain. Work continues in the JDF refrigeration plant to prepare it for the large renovation to the rink and brine systems. All three heat pumps at the Centennial Center have been replaced with modern and more energy-efficient units. Work is now ongoing to set up the connection to our DDC system and integrate these new units with the rest of our system. Lots of planning and logistics are also going into the Centennial Centre to prepare for the move of the pottery studio. This includes upgrades to the electrical service and plumbing system along with new flooring, walls, cabinets and equipment. Updates to our preventative maintenance plan for the entire electrical grid on site is underway. We are working closely with Emery Electric to go over this plan and be sure that as our electrical system continues to age that we are on top of all the maintenance concerns. This work has gone in parallel with a re-vamp of our entire preventative maintenance system and our service and repairs records, which will make our systems more efficient and help to streamline record keeping.

We have been working with TSBC (Technical Safety BC) to inventory our equipment and ensure everything is up to date and certifications are properly displayed. We are finishing up our yearly service for all main water lines into the buildings and are working with the CRD on our back-flow prevention. We offered a pool operation course on site for the RFABC, to help in training maintenance staff on pool operation.

The transformation of the curling rink into the new indoor sports complex has been completed. Change cubicles were installed and the flooring has been replaced. The existing stand-alone electrical room was properly sealed to fix a water leak. The Seniors' annual maintenance has been completed in time for programs to begin and VIHA to utilize the space they are renting.

Sanitation has increased with use and protocols were established for program crossover. The equipment and fixtures have been removed from the second floor of JDF in preparation for demolition of the space.

Parks Field usage has picked up as the fall sports seasons have begun. The golf course has seen the aeration of the tee boxes and fairways, with work on the greens beginning shortly. Staff are preparing the gardens for the fall and winter.

Programs Community Recreation The beginning of September saw the community recreation team quickly pull together 4 extra days of camp to cover the delay in the start to the school year. 98 children took advantage of the extra summer fun over the 4 days.

The afterschool care program started on September 14th with 120 children picked up daily from 12 different schools on 5 different bus routes. Logistics for picking up the children were made harder this year as a couple of schools staggered release times and extended the gradual entry for kindergarten children.

The 10-month preschool programs also started up again in September. The daily registration option for both Licensed programs and the outdoor based nature preschool allows parents to sign up for one program or mix and match programs to best fit their child’s needs. The 2.5, 3 or 4-hour programs offer lots of time outside and foster physical, intellectual and social growth and provide opportunities for social interaction, team work and encourage creativity, flexibility and curiosity.

Staff have been working hard to create and implement new COVID-19 policies and procedures in order to safely reopen the pottery studio. Pottery classes and the new 'open time' sign up slots are full and all volunteers and participants have received safety orientations prior to their sessions commencing.

Fitness and Weights September saw further expansion of fitness programs and services. Weight room use continues to be by reservation only. An additional 7 sessions per week were added to the schedule, with the expansion of facility hours to include Sundays for the first time since re-opening. Rehabilitation, personal training services, and weight room orientations have resumed with additional safety measures in place. Staff have managed to schedule 35 fitness classes per week including Yoga, The Biggest Winner, Zumba, Jazzercise, and Indoor Cycling. Classes are offered either as a registered series, or as single classes which must be reserved in advance to ensure Public Health guidelines are adhered to.

Sports The golf course continues to have a great year with 5830 rounds in August. September started with a bang and the course had a record revenue day at $4012.60 on September 2nd.

The Q Centre is in full swing and almost at 100% capacity each day. The exhibition schedule for the BCHL (Grizzlies) and VIJHL (Wolves) has now begun with a handful of games already being played.

WSPR and JDF Minor Hockey have teamed up with the WHL to offer a modified combine October 16-18 for 11-18-year olds. The combine will use the Q Centre and the Indoor Sports Complex. WSPR is looking to grow this relationship into the future.

Phase 3 has allowed more flexibility for sport organizations. As the weather starts to get worse and the daylight shortens the Indoor Sports Complex is getting busier with soccer, dryland training and ball.

The JDF Arena has been used for meetings and some other programs while we wait for construction to begin. Since the closing of the JDF Arena, staff have been creative and are going to offer skate sharpening out of the Golf Pro Shop.

Food & Beverage September has been an exciting month for food and beverage in reaching over 8000 frozen meals sold or donated to vulnerable members of the community since the inception of this project in April. This was possible with the support from the Good Food Access Fund and the Breakfast Club of Canada funding we received totalling almost $30,000.

The Breakfast Club of Canada funding also enabled us to support our Summer camp team with a grab bag of snacks the leaders carried with them for hungry kids and enabled us to provide a weekly free lunch to the children approved for subsidy for camp funding.

Over the summer months we’ve developed and strengthened partnerships with The Salvation Army, Island Metis, The Boys and Girls Club, Island Health and SD62. It has been very rewarding for our team to be part of helping the community.

Recently, we have been very fortunate to receive $20,000 in Loblaws Grocery Gift Cards, through our previous funding with the Good Food Access Fund, which we are working with our community partners to distribute to members of the community in need.

FOR INFORMATION ONLY

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS PARKINSON AND ANDERSON THAT THE REPORT BE RECEIVED AS PRESENTED. CARRIED

IN CAMERA

10. N/A

ADJOURNMENT

11. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS WADE AND PARKINSON THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED AT 6:13PM. CARRIED