Minutes – West Shore Parks and Recreation Society Board of Directors (June 18, 2020)

Call to Order

1. The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00pm.

Chair's Remarks

2. Administrator, Grant Brown chaired the beginning of the meeting and welcomed the directors to the board.

The directors and WSPRS staff each introduced themselves.

Election of Officers

3. Administrator, Grant Brown started the election of officers.

a) Chair

Nominations were called for Chair.

Director, Damian Kowalewich nominated Director, Kyara Kahakauwila (seconded by Director, Stewart Parkinson).

Director, Kyara Kahakauwila accepted the nomination.

The Administrator called three times for further nominations and hearing none, Director, Kyara Kahakauwila was elected as Chair.

Director, Kyara Kahakauwila assumed the Chair at this time.

b) Vice-Chair

Nominations were called for Vice-Chair.

Director, Kyara Kahakauwila nominated Director, Damian Kowalewich (seconded by Director, Roger Wade).

Director, Damian Kowalewich accepted the nomination.

The Chair called three times for further nominations and hearing none, Director, Damian Kowalewich was elected as Vice-Chair.

c) Finance Chair

Nominations were called for Finance Chair.

Director, Roger Wade nominated Director, Stewart Parkinson (seconded by Director, Damian Kowalewich).

The Chair called three times for further nominations and hearing none, Director, Stewart Parkinson was elected as Finance Chair.

The Chair called three times for further nominations and hearing none, Director, Stewart Parksinson was elected as Finance Chair.

Appointments

4. a) GVLRA Representative and Alternate

The Chair called for a volunteer for the Greater Victoria Labour Relations Association Representative.

Director, Kyara Kahakauwila expressed interest in continuing on as the GVLRA Representative.

Director, Kyara Kahakauwila was appointed as the GVLRA Representative.

The Chair called for a volunteer for the Greater Victoria Labour Relations Association Alternate.

Director, Leslie Anderson expressed interest in continuing on as the GVLRA Alternate.

Director, Leslie Anderson was appointed as the GVLRA Alternate.

Joe Martignago left the meeting at 4:12pm.

Approval of Agenda

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS WADE AND ANDERSON THAT THE AGENDA BE APPROVED WITH THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS: ADD BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE, JDF ARENA AND MEDIA RELEASE TO NEW BUSINESS.
CARRIED

Approval of Minutes

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS PARKINSON AND ANDERSON THAT THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING HELD MAY 14TH, 2020 BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED.
NO ERRORS, NO OMMISIONS
CARRIED

Public Participation

7. N/A

Standing Committees

8. a) Finance Committee Update

Administrator, Grant Brown commented on the following:

The following motion was brought forward from the finance committee that states:

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS HILTON AND EARL THAT STAFF’S RECOMMENDATIONS TO REDUCE THE DEFICIT TO $0 BE SUPPORTED WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT AS FUNDING BECOMES AVAILABLE THAT THE INCUSION OF YOUTH PROGRAMMING BE PRIORITIZED.
DIRECTOR KOWALEWICH - OPPOSED
CARRIED

Administrator, Grant Brown indicated that since the last finance committee meeting, staff have discovered that the JDF Arena floor is in worse shape than expected.

Manager of Operations, Wade Davies commented that there are only 2 (out of 6) operational under-floor heating runs left in the JDF Arena which helps to prevent the freezing and expansion of the soil. The JDF Arena floor is set to be replaced at the end of the 2020/2021 ice season but using the arena in its current state will further delay the excavation required as part of the floor replacement.

There was board discussion around the current status of the JDF Arena and how it will affect the possible re-opening of the space and the programs the user groups offer. It was mentioned that an expert opinion is needed to further assess the floor’s status and whether it is fit for operation.

Administrator, Grant Brown mentioned that operating within the approved budget needs to be considered when assessing the possible re-opening of the JDF Arena and Pool.

It was decided that the finance committee would meet on June 30th at 4:30pm to discuss the re-opening of the JDF Arena and Pool after further information from the engineer is received concerning the status of the JDF Arena floor.

WSPRS staff read the intended press release addressing the re-opening status of the JDF Arena and Pool for approval by the board.

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS WADE AND ANDERSON THAT THE PRESS RELEASE INDICATING THE CLOSURE OF THE JDF POOL AND ARENA FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2020 BE AMENDED TO REMOVE THE 2020 REFERENCE.
CARRIED

It was asked by the board what the budget would look like if the pool was re-opened.

Old Business

9. N/A

New Business

10. a) Fall Meeting Schedule

Administrator, Grant Brown commented on the following:

The board meetings currently occur at 3:00pm on the second Thursday of the month, with the occasional meeting occurring on the third Thursday of the month.

On the months where there is a finance committee meeting, they are scheduled for the same days at 1:30pm.

WSPRS staff asked the board if this schedule works or if it we more convenient to move the start times later.

There was a board discussion and it was suggested that the board meetings move to 5:30pm and the finance committee meetings move to 4:30pm.

b) Board Member Orientation

WSPRS staff mentioned that they would like to schedule a board orientation for July 23rd from 1-3:30pm.

Director, Stewart Parkinson commented that he sat on a Summer Games phone call and asked that the other directors approach their council members for interest.

Administrator, Grant Brown commented that event is being looked at on a regional level.

For Information

11. a) Administrator’s Report

Administrator, Grant Brown reported the following highlights:

Administration/Human Resources

• We remain committed to following the safety guidelines put in place by local health authorities and have begun the slow re-opening of some approved facilities that fall under the Phase 2 guidelines.
• The RFP for Recreation Management Software was posted on BCBid and closed June 4th. Staff have begun the evaluation process, which will carry on through most of the summer.
• The RFP for External Audit Services was posted on BCBid and closed on June 2nd. KPMG was the successful proponent with a term covering the 2020-2024 financial years.
• Two program staff are now off on maternity leaves. Due to reductions in service offerings in relation to Covid-19, neither position is being filled and the duties have been reassigned.
• Safety plans continue to be developed for each department as they re-open to the public. As part of the provincial guidelines, these plans are posted and staff receive training prior to opening.
• Work continues on our records management policy as we continue to move towards a greater use of electronic media as a means of file management.

Operations

• Maintenance staff have been making many changes to the facility to allow for the return of the public while keeping staff safe and ensuring the adherence to provincial regulations. These include the installation of Lexan screens in reception and the golf pro shop, stations at the front entrance with spacing markers, directional floor markings and increased hand sanitizer stations.
• Work continues on the Indoor Sports Complex in preparation of its re-opening. The much-anticipated basketball hoops have been installed and changing stalls are being installed where the curling lockers once were. Flooring for the lobby has been ordered and will be installed in the coming weeks.
• During the closure, the hot tub was drained and staff have been resealing all jets as some leakage was discovered.
• Signage has been installed around the facility and at outdoor spaces, informing the public of our protocols and policies for re-opening.
• Staff continue to engage Polar Engineering on the plans for the replacement of the JDF arena floor and will accelerate this process in order to begin the work in 2020 now that the facility will remain closed. Starting the project earlier than planned will allow for a full dry floor season in 2021.

Programs

• The golf course continues to be very busy, seeing some of the highest rounds per day in recent years.
• The “Parks Ambassador” program continues, which involves a staff member patrolling the golf course as well as our other outdoor facilities to ensure the public is adhering to physical distancing. As field rentals begin to pick up, the need for this program will diminish.
• The weight room re-opened on June 2nd with a soft launch of two sessions per day and has now moved into 5 sessions per day Monday through Friday and 2 sessions on Saturdays. The re-opening has been very successful and received a glowing review by the health inspector. Staff have sent a survey out to all WSPR members to ask for feedback on their initial experiences with enhanced safety protocols in place, the time slots they are interested in and what additional fitness programming they are interested in us running. Staff have also been sharing their opening and safety plans with their counterparts around Greater Victoria.
• Summer camps are set to begin on June 29th. Limitations to all program offerings have been made to ensure physical distancing and safety measures can be adhered to. As registration has been very strong, new camps have been added to meet the demand.
• Staff met with the JDF Seniors Centre Board of Directors and they informed us that as a result of COVID, their membership does not feel comfortable coming back to use the centre for programming until at least the end of summer. While they have vacated the facility, WSPR staff have been given approval to use rooms for adding additional camps, fitness programming and meeting room space.
• Alterations to WSPRS services have been implemented to keep operations within the requisition funding levels approved in the 2020 operating budget. These include the pool and JDF arena remaining closed for the remainder of 2020 and the removal of low and no cost programming and community event support.
• Since our closure, the food & beverage department has prepared 2500 packaged and frozen meals for the Island Metis Society and the Out of the Rain youth shelter. The F&B department has received a $16,000 Breakfast Club of Canada grant to expand this program which will focus on families with children.

FOR INFORMATION ONLY

MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS PARKINSON AND WADE THAT THE ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT BE RECEIVED AS PRESENTED.
CARRIED

In Camera

12. N/A

Adjournment

13. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS WADE AND ANDERSON THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED AT 5:09PM.
    CARRIED