West Shore Parks and Recreation – Minutes (December 12th, 2019)

CALL TO ORDER

1. The Chair called the meeting to order at 2:59pm.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

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

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

3. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS KIEDYK AND HILTON THAT THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING HELD NOVEMBER 14TH, 2019 BE ADOPTED.
   NO ERRORS, NO OMMISIONS
   CARRIED

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

4. Jules Van Rosebrook commented that he had heard of some changes being made to the flooring in the indoor sports complex and is concerned there won’t be enough courts for pickleball. Two weeks ago, a West Shore Pickleball Association was formed and there are already 73 people signed up.

Acting Manager of Recreation, Geoff Welham showed Jules Van Rosebrook and Angus Stewart the intended floor plans of the indoor sports complex and mentioned that a turf surface would fill 2/3 of the space and a multisport surface would fill the remaining 1/3 of the space. Installation will begin on January 2nd, 2020 with completion scheduled for January 20th, 2020.

Angus Stewart commented that he would have liked the opportunity for the public to be more involved in the design stage. He mentioned that the West Shore community suits the drop-in programming style and is concerned the new design will not meet the needs of the newly-formed West Shore Pickleball Association.

Acting Manager of Recreation, Geoff Welham mentioned that West Shore Parks & Recreation is offering more drop-in opportunities year round in gym spaces within the school system as well as the new courts in the indoor sports complex.

Angus Stewart commented that space is lacking in the West Shore for indoor sports that are played on surfaces other than turf. As a PE teacher in Saanich and a school rep for sports, Angus has experience designing indoor playing spaces. In addition to the need for indoor courts, the West Shore Pickleball Association is considering outdoor locations as well.

Chair, Joe Martignago asked Acting Administrator, Sandy Clarke and staff to follow up with both Angus Stewart and Jules Van Rosebrook.

CHAIR’S REMARKS

5. Acting Administrator, Sandy Clarke commented on the following:

West Shore Parks & Recreation staff are performing periodic traffic stops at the parking lot entrance off Ocean Blvd in order to modify people’s driving habits and to not use the entrance as a cut through to the Island Highway. November saw some success but the issue had been growing again and during a traffic stop yesterday, a WSPR staff member was seriously injured by a community member and her car. West Shore Parks & Recreation staff are working with the RCMP for future monitoring of the Ocean Blvd parking lot entrance/exit.

STANDING COMMITTEES

6. a) Strategic Plan Update
   Acting Administrator, Sandy Clarke highlighted the following:

There are four strategic priorities in the Strategic Plan including Strong Relationships, Sustainable Operations/Resources, Excellence in Service Delivery, and Innovation and Leadership. We are currently updating the document with the past year’s achievements which will be available at the Board of Directors meeting in January 2020. The Annual Report highlights the accomplishments in each strategic priority area.

b) Finance
Acting Administrator, Sandy Clarke highlighted the following:

West Shore Parks & Recreation budget packages were dropped off to municipal offices three weeks ago. Budget presentations have been booked with three of the five councils.

OLD BUSINESS

7. a) RFP Update
   Consultant, Jonathan Huggett highlighted the following:

Two proponents went through the RFP process. One submission was complete and the second submission was a withdrawal with intent to recommend an alternate process.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS EARL AND KIEDYK THAT THE RFP EVALUATION COMMITTEE’S REPORT BE RECEIVED AND THE BOARD SUPPORTS THE DECISION TO NOT GO FORWARD WITH EITHER PROPONENT.
CARRIED

The Board of Directors are to advise respective councils of the RFP outcome.

Acting Administrator, Sandy Clarke to notify the Union that there was no successful proponent, and the RFP is now closed.

NEW BUSINESS

8. N/A

FOR INFORMATION

9. a) Administrator’s Report

Acting Administrator, Sandy Clarke highlighted the following:

Administration/Human Resources

The Health and Safety Committee recently attended a training session on workplace inspections. The positive outcome of the training includes recommendations on who should be involved in doing the inspections in the various areas; creating policies which determine the risks within each area and creating corresponding inspection schedules.

Staff are currently planning the annual staff day training event. The theme for this year will be “The Future looks Bright”. This annual training day focuses on an overview of the year’s accomplishments as it relates to the strategic plan; a keynote speaker and various team building exercises. This year the event will be held in January 2020 due to conflicting year end events.

Operations

November was Ammonia awareness month at WSPR and staff received several opportunities to attend a training session or participate in a facility ammonia drill. Colwood Fire was in attendance during the drill and were very impressed with our system and our proactive approach to ensuring all staff in the facility are prepared in the event of an ammonia leak. The training activated The One Plan which breaks the response into 4 key rolls. A video was produced by maintenance staff that lays the plan out for all staff to review.

The 6 week closure of the pool area running from November 11-December 26th is well underway. We are installing a SoftWalk foot friendly flooring from Myrtha Pools. This new feature is gentle on feet and joints and a great enhancement for rehab, water fit, and other programs. The main pool liner is being replaced and regular repairs to the pool deck are being completed. New paint and signage will also be added. There has been a delay in the delivery of the new air handling unit for the pool. It is now expected to arrive in the first week of January. As waiting for the delivery would have delayed the reopening of the pool by approximately 2-3 weeks it was decided to store the unit onsite and plan for an install in June 2020 when the weather will permit the work to be done without a further closure. Staff are providing weekly updates of the shutdown progress on Facebook and Instragram to keep our patrons up to date. All WSPR pass holders are welcome to use their pass at all regional recreation centres including the Langford YM-YWCA during our 6 week closure.

Programs

As we enter the Holiday season we have a number of specials highlighted in our facility. Winter Wonderland skates are being held in the JDF Arena. The arena is transformed for the Christmas season and skates are booked for groups from December 14-18. We are nearing capacity for these special skates. For the month of December, WSPR will be selling a “5 for you” promotional pass. The 5 drop-in pass is sold for $15 and is a perfect stocking stuffer. WSPR staff will continue their tradition of giving back to the community. We are participating in the 12 days of giving and are collecting items to be donated to the Goldstream Food Bank Christmas hamper and stocking project. Staff also adopt 2 families and provide a complete Christmas basket for them including gifts and food options. Our holiday hours will include an early closure of 3pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and the facility is closed on Christmas and Boxing Day.

The fitness and aquatic department are gearing up for a busy new year. New equipment has been ordered for the weight room, including recumbent bikes and treadmills. Staff attended the Ripple Effects conference in Vancouver and reported it as a very worthwhile learning opportunity. The trend of recruiting and retaining front line staff was a focus and in response to that a new lifeguarding pathway to employment has been featured in our current Activity Guide.

The indoor sports complex dry floor grand opening has been delayed by one week in order to allow for the installation of the new surfaces in the first 2 weeks of January 2020. The grand opening is now slated for January 20, 2020 and invitations will be sent out to our member municipalities. In addition to the rental requests that are coming in, WSPR programs including family open gym; youth open gym, a toddler social, and birthday party programming will be offered.

We continue to pursue grant funding for a variety of our programs. Once again staff were successful in their request for community support in their application to Peninsula Co-op. WSPR received $10,000 to support our year-round child minding service. We are submitting a grant for gender equity in recreational sport through UBCM’s Community Grants Initiative 2019. The Girls Got Game program will address the issues facing girls such as inactivity, drop out and lack of confidence in sport and physical activity. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, “factors such as social stigma, lack of access, safety and transportation issues, costs and lack of positive role models, can all contribute to the reasons why girls drop out of sports in their adolescent years.” By offering a no cost program lead by strong female coaches and athletes, we will provide role models to encourage participation and inspire a passion for sport and activity. Staff also continue to work with the provincial government on the Childcare BC new spaces fund. We have revised our application once again and are awaiting final word on our application.

The Skatepark Coalition and WSPR staff are now attending meetings with each municipal council or commission to pursue proportionate financial support for 60% of the skatepark construction cost. The additional 40% will come from community initiatives led by WPSR and the Westshore Skatepark Coalition. To date 2 municipal presentations have occurred in Langford and Colwood. The skatepark project has also received a community swell of support through letters from MLA John Horgan, MLA Mitzi Dean, Island Health, SD62, Debbie Aadland - Community Member, Kim Dillon - WorkLink and Community member, Rodrick Taylor - Indigenous Child & Youth Mental Health. Through the community-engaged learning department, 3 UVIC students from the Digital Media Production for Writers class are currently putting together a promotional video for the skatepark project that will be used in sourcing funding and project promotion.

The new Winter Activity Guide is available online and registration began on December 5th. We look forward to offering a wide variety of programs and services to enhance the health and wellness of our community members in the New Year.

The Board of Directors thanked staff for their work during the past year.

b) Meeting Schedule 2020

Acting Administrator, Sandy Clarke highlighted the following:

The schedules for the Finance Committee and Board of Directors’ meetings were discussed briefly and will remain as noted.

FOR INFORMATION ONLY

IN CAMERA

10. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS ANEMA AND HILTON THAT THE MEETING MOVE IN CAMERA.
    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 2.(1)(c) labour relations, 2.(1)(i) legal advice and 2.(1)(l) progress reports.
    CARRIED

Chair, Joe Martignago asked members of the public to leave for the duration of the in camera session.

ADJOURNMENT

11. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS EARL AND KIEDYK THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED AT 5:00PM.
    CARRIED