Minutes of the West Shore Parks and Recreation Society Board of Directors (February 18, 2021)

NEW BUSINESS

8. a) Annual Report Discussion

Geoff Welham, manager of recreation commented on the following:

WSPR staff are considering changing the format of the annual report going forward. As a society, we are not required to put together a publication. However, as part of the operating agreement with the municipal owners, the Society is expected to provide an annual report in an acceptable format that summarizes the activities from the previous year. Departmental presentations to the board throughout the year and an annual presentation to the mayors and council will help satisfy this requirement. WSPR staff propose to change the format of the annual report from a multi-page printed publication, which is also available on the website, to a poster that includes the relevant stats of interest. This change will lower the overall production cost considerably.

There was board discussion and it was decided that it is a good idea to downsize the publication to a poster including the relevant stats and how the requisitions are being used to support the services WSPR offers.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS ANDERSON AND PARKINSON THAT THE ANNUAL REPORT BE CHANGED FROM A MULTI-PAGE DOCUMENT TO A POSTER FORMAT.
CARRIED

DIRECTOR ROGER WADE ARRIVED AT 4:52PM.

FOR INFORMATION

9. a) JDF Arena improvement project

Wade Davies, manager of operations highlighted the following:

• The project is on target to be completed by June with enough available budget to install new stand seating.

b) JDF Childcare Centre project

Geoff Welham, manager of recreation highlighted the following:

• WSPR staff are currently taking applications of interest for the new licensed daycare. Afterschool Care registration for new families begins next week for 40 available spaces.
• Framing continues in the project space with electrical and plumbing also being completed.
• WSPR staff are currently sourcing out furniture, fixtures and equipment for the space.

c) Administrator’s Report

Grant Brown, administrator highlighted the following.

Administration/Human Resources

• The major dry floor users received a letter outlining the status of the JDF Arena floor project and the anticipated June completion date. The comments received thus far express disappointment, however they are understanding of the situation.
• The human resources team is currently working towards helping finance with year-end tasks, working with departments to solve staffing issues and refreshing the orientation manual for new staff.
• The finance team completed the 2nd COVID Safe Restart Grant Fund request to the board and forwarded the request for approval to the owners. In addition, an update to the Corporate Procurement Policy was made. The policy states that WSPR must procure all goods and services efficiently, fairly, and economically, in a publicly accountable, open, and transparent manner. The focus for February and March will be 2020 year-end, the financial audit, 2021 budget tracking and training. Goals for 2021 include reviewing the long-term plan for food and beverage services, streamlining the revenue and expense tracking, budget forecasts, and training /staff development.
• Thus far, the WSPR second request for COVID-19 Safe Restart Grant Funds and the 2021 Budget request have been approved by 3 of the 5 owners, with the remaining 2 owners bringing forward the requests mid-February.
• Staff met with the GVLRA to discuss the scheduling and details of the negotiations for a new Collective Agreement. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for mid-February.
• Beginning in March, WSPR department heads will begin annual presentations to the board with a different department presenting each month, with some exceptions. This will give department heads the chance to showcase their team’s work and increase the board’s knowledge of WSPR operations.

Operations

Maintenance

• The pool air handling unit and heat recovery system has been fully-commissioned and has made a noticeable improvement to the air quality in the pool. Service work has been completed on various machinery in the Q Centre. Updates have been made to the Ammonia Exposure Control Plan to ensure its compliance with WorksafeBC. Work is under way on the removal of the slab in the JDF Arena. Construction crews were onsite draining the brine lines and breaking up the floor in preparation for its removal within 5 days of being awarded the contract.

Parks

• The crew has begun mapping the utility services on our site using Google Earth, overlaying power, sewer, water and gas lines. The golf course is in good shape even with the large increase in rounds played. Repairs to the tee boxes are ongoing as the number of divots have increased. The fields are in better shape as compared to previous years, as overall hours of use have been down during COVID-19, thus the annual closure in late spring will be shorter in 2021.
• The transformer switch for the lower park was damaged as a result of the power outage in December. Temporary repairs have been made to allow the usage of the lower park lights until the replacement is installed.

Programs

Community Recreation

• The new pottery studio at Centennial Centre for Arts, Culture and Community was relocated from the Q Centre and opened with a “virtual celebration” on Friday, January 22nd. The new space is spacious and offers a creative environment to enjoy working with clay. Programs offered include: Open Studio Time, Adult Programs, Private and Semi-Private Lessons, School Age Programs, Home Learners Pottery and much more. The new studio is equipped with a dedicated hand building area, multiple wheel stations, a separate glazing room and three kilns.
• The “Girls Got Game” 8-week program for 9-12yr old’s, which is funded by the Gender Equity in Recreational Sport; Community Grants Initiative 2019 started this January. The CPRA funding was kindly carried over from 2020 due to the pandemic. In this low-cost program, girls work on fundamental movement skills and physical literacy to be confident to explore different sports. Girls are exposed to different team or individual sports each week by strong female athletes and coaches from their community. The aim is to break down barriers and help young girls develop confidence and a passion for sport. 10 girls are currently registered and another 15 are registered for the Girls Got Game Camp during spring break.
• WSPR and the West Shore Skate Park Coalition held a fundraising touchless bottle drive on Sunday, January 3rd, following all provincial COVID-19 guidelines. 163 vehicles drove through raising an amazing $4,006. Thanks to all the volunteers that supported the event on a very wet day.
• Spring break registration has taken off in the last couple of weeks and staff are currently trying to recruit additional leaders in order to open up waitlists!

Program registrations (summary)

• Licensed Camps - 2 camps per week, full with 20 kids per day (daily reg)

• Aspiring Artist Camp – 1 camp per week, full with 8 kids per day (weekly reg)

• Active Camp – 1 camp per week, full with 12 kids per day (weekly reg)

• Girls Got Game Camp – 1 camp total, full with 15 kids per day (weekly reg)

• Forest School (contract) – 1 camp per week, full with 16 kids per day (weekly reg)

• Horse Riding (contract) – 1 camp total, full with 10 kids per day (weekly reg)

• The WSPR and Francophone Society of Victoria grant application was successful and a launch of an online survey and town hall to determine the French programming needs of families in the West Shore will be coming in February.

Aquatics, Fitness and Weights

• The pool re-opened in January after a 10-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 18 auxiliary aquatic staff were recalled to support the pool’s re-opening and winter schedule. Each staff member was required to attend a 5-hour training in-service to review updated emergency procedures and COVID-19 safety protocols. Three different sessions were held to ensure training could be conducted safely in a small group setting. All aquatic staff also completed updated Airway Management and Oxygen Administration (AMOA) training through the Lifesaving Society, which included the introduction of new resuscitation equipment introduced to improve patient outcomes and provide additional layers of protection to staff in the event of a resuscitation during the pandemic.
• Pool operations during COVID-19 are very different, and staff from multiple departments worked together to create an informational video about the new protocols. The video can be found on our website, and has received positive feedback from customers who found it helpful in understanding what to expect on their first visit. http://www.westshorerecreation.ca/about-us/news/for-your-safety/#5
• The weight room continues to operate smoothly despite the additional safety protocols. Low-intensity group fitness programming has successfully resumed, and staff continue to explore options to add more classes where required to meet our community’s health and fitness needs within the current Public Health Orders.

Sports

• Even though it has been closed multiple days due to inclement weather, the golf course is off to a good start in 2021! There have been 1924 rounds in January which is the 5th highest total rounds played since 1999. Having the Pro shop open again this year has accounted for an extra $2,900 in revenue for January which includes 69 frozen meals sold as well as 133 beer and cider.
• The sports staff have developed a “home learners” sport program in partnership with PowerWest Athletics. Activities offered include a learn-to-skate and a multi-sport session split between the Q Centre and the Indoor Sports Complex.
• Warner Brothers was onsite 12 days in late January filming a Netflix series called “Maid”. This rental generated over $80,000 in un-planned revenue. The scenes shot onsite included transforming the Kids Cottage into a high-end daycare centre, the Seniors Centre was turned into a meeting room to host a meeting for an Alcohol Anonymous group and the JDF Reception lobby was turned into an Emergency Room reception centre of a hospital. WSPR staff were resilient in dealing with the many disruptions and worked together to help make this as smooth as possible with filming and programs continuing at the same time. The filming group is returning at the end of February to finish their shoot in the Kids Cottage.
• April ice time in The Q Centre has been a hot commodity and contracts will be going out very soon to current and newly user groups. Volleyball and basketball rentals have been successful in the ISC and are going to continue into April and May. Baseball and softball clinics have started to increase in frequency on the turf in January as well. WSPR continues to host some of our top athletes in the country with the Rugby 7’s Women’s team practicing on Field 1 regularly.

Food & Beverage

• On January 7th, the Salvation Army was onsite for a Drive Through Food Hamper Pickup in front of the Library. Thank you to the arena, sports and events team, who assisted with traffic control to ensure patrons and vehicles onsite were safe. WSPR distributed 300 frozen meals to people picking up hampers on this day funded by the West Shore Rotary Club though WSPR’s community meals program, which has recently been advertised in our newsletter. This event donated 120 hampers to the community. Discussions are occurring about continuing the Drive Through Hamper Pickup on WSPR property once a month (on the week the foodbank is closed) dependent on the Salvation Army securing funding.
• For the month, we have sold 862 meals; 69 of which were sold out of the Pro shop to golfers.

Grant Brown, administrator added the following to the report:

• A letter was sent to the dry floor users confirming that the JDF Arena would not be available until after June. Users expressed both disappointment and understanding. Eagle Ridge Community Centre will be used as a vaccination site which further limits the amount of available dry floor space within the Westshore for users. WSPR staff are providing contacts to users of other dry floor solutions throughout the community.
• The 2021 budget has been approved by 75% of the municipal ownership. The second COVID-19 Restart Funding ask to the municipal owners has been approved by four out of the five municipalities with it going to Colwood council for approval next week.
• The transformer switch mention earlier in the report has now been replaced.
• Registration for pool programming is full.

FOR INFORMATION ONLY

IN CAMERA

10. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS WADE AND ANDERSON THAT THE MEETING MOVE IN CAMERA.
    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;

ADJOURNMENT

11. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS WADE AND ANDERSON THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED AT 5:26PM.
    CARRIED