West Shore Parks and Recreation Board Meeting - January 19, 2023 (Minutes)

CALL TO ORDER

1. The chair called the meeting to order at 5:30pm.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

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

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

3. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS ANDERSON AND GUIRY THAT THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING HELD DECEMBER 8TH 2022, BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED.
   NO ERRORS, NO OMMISIONS.
   CARRIED

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

4. Pat Ford, 55+ Activity Centre – commented that the Senior’s Association now has 1,014 members with more to come.

CHAIR’S REMARKS

5. N/A

STANDING COMMITTEES

6. N/A

OLD BUSINESS

7. N/A

NEW BUSINESS

8. a) Aquatics department presentation

Raf Olejniczak, Hamish Babin and Emily Newton presented a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the following:

• Aquatics team has more than doubled in size since January 2022
• Lesson offerings have doubled during this year’s winter session compared to last year’s
• Pre-school, school age and private lessons make up most of our aquatics offerings
• Due to an organizational change with Red Cross, WSPR moved towards offering its own branded lesson set, which has been successful to date. The change gives WSPR more control over the curriculum and offers the opportunity of WSPR-branded levels, report cards, badges and conversion tables. The shift has been well received for instructors and patrons.
• Developed an instructor program:
  • 20 hours of classroom
  • Min 12 hours/4 days of practicum
  • Reducing barrier to entry
  • Quality assurance
  • 2 courses ran: spring 2002 and fall 2022
  • Next course will be held in spring 2023
• Pool is open for 101.5 hours a week. The top services include:
  • Sauna and steam: 100 hours
  • Lane swimming: 74.25
  • Leisure swimming: 62.75
  • Water walking: 43.75
• Pool safety supervision
  • Minimum of 2 lifeguards for 40 swimmers
  • Increase number of swimmers to 60 during times when there are instructors teaching lessons or classes
  • One additional lifeguard is needed when the waterslide is open
• Aquatics staff is comprised of:
  • 54 active employees
    • 14 team leaders
    • 2 full-time
    • 3 RPT
• Swim instructor and lifeguard path:
  • 132 hours of training including classroom, skills, and teaching practicums.
  • Cost is approximately $1120 per student.
  • In 2022, the Jr. Instructor and Fun Leader position was created.
• 2023
  • Offer programs at new times and maximize staff availabilities.
  • Further grow team and staff development.
  • Increase registered programs.
  • Adding a climbing wall and basketball net.

There was a short board discussion around the challenges staff are faced with managing the waitlists. Staff replied that the community has grown and that lessons are planned around the staff availability and pool capacity. The board expressed their appreciation for the creativity staff are taking to schedule more lessons to accommodate the increased demand.

AQUATICS STAFF LEFT THE MEETING AT 5:53PM.

8. b) 2023 budget process update

Grant Brown, administrator, commented on the following:

• ➢ The District of Metchosin and District of Highlands both approved the budget. WSPR staff will be presenting at the City of Colwood on February 13th, 2023, and the Town of View Royal on February 14th, 2023.

FOR INFORMATION

9. a) Administrator’s report

Grant Brown, administrator, highlighted the following:

Administration/Human Resources

• Progress on the skatepark project continues to move forward, and the excitement is building within the community. There are many people following the progress of the construction, taking photos and posting on social media. The media release for the title sponsor will happen mid-January as soon as the message from the sponsor has been received as well as the final rendering of the skatepark.
• The finance team continues to work on operational priorities, and get caught up on the recreation software imports, deposits, aged AR follow up, reconciliations and financial reporting. With 1 position vacant for 3 months, finance remains behind in a few areas, putting in long hours to catch up. The KPMG Interim audit was completed in December, and now staff will be working on yearend in January.
• December was a busy month in HR with continued support provided to supervisors regarding recruitment and hiring. The month also brings about a number of items to accomplish for month and yearend and all are well underway. Labour relations and employee mental health continue to be a focus and is drawing quite a bit of time from HR to support staff and supervisors. The updated staff appreciation program is being rolled out by marketing next month. The HR team is preparing how to educate supervisors and staff on the program and how to participate.

Operations

Maintenance

• In the Q Centre Arena, the pre-heat hot water storage tank reached its end of life and has been replaced. As well, the domestic and Zamboni bay hot water tanks have had leaks repaired. Electric metering has been installed on the Direct Digital control system for the JDF Arena, indoor sports complex, Centennial Centre and administration, with the Q Centre Arena scheduled next. These monitors will allow staff to better manage electrical use, improving efficiency. The semi annual servicing was completed on the JDF 55+ Activity Centre’s air handling units.
• The Fieldhouse is having window blinds installed which will allow for ambient light control, leading to an improved presentation experience. The JDF 55+ Activity Centre’s deck roof replacement is underway. A tin roof is being installed which will have a much longer lifespan than the current one. Various pieces of damaged weightroom equipment were disassembled, welded and are not back in use.
• Chris Patterson, the mechanical lead hand accepted a management position with another local arena. Chris had been with WSPR for 25 years and will be missed. The position was successfully filled by Craig Hammett who has been with WSPR since mid 2022. A few positions remain vacant, and postings will go out in early January.

Parks

• End of year preparations on the gardens and fields continued throughout the month. Crews started their days early during the times of heavy snow fall, clearing lanes, lots and sidewalks to allow for safe access to the site for patrons and staff alike. The dedicated staff ensured that doors could open, and services could be offered. The community and their co-workers greatly appreciated it.

Programs

Community Recreation

• Victoria’s first indoor Roundnet league, run by Rex Sports, wrapped up its inaugural season on December 11th. The league hit its maximum registration numbers in its first season, with 32 participants taking part. The winter league is projected to be strong as well, with 30 of 32 spots being filled. As well, another successful session of ‘Girls Got Game’ finished on December 15th. All 20 spots were filled, and the program included 8 female guest coaches, all representing different sports and physical activities.
• The afterschool care program participated in a fun free skate together on December 12th and 13th. This was some of the children’s first time skating! It was very successful, and a great time was had by all 140 children.
• Registration for all CR programs including spring break camp occurred on December 8th. All of WSPR in-house spring break camps (licensed camps, art/dance camps & active camps) are currently full with waitlists, enabling over 140 families to access care at spring break. There are still a few spaces available in contracted camps such as horseback riding and Engineering for Kids.
• During the Christmas season is when many of our larger community events are planned and attended within the community. The WSPR community events team attended the following holiday events and providing 3 types of crafts:
  • Langford Light Up and the Truck Parade December 3rd, 2022 – Veterans Memorial Park
  • Colwood Christmas Light up December 7th, 2022 – Colwood City Hall
• The West Shore Parks & Recreation Spirit of Giving event was held on December 9th, 2022 at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre. 200 people attended this free festive event for the community (first one in many years). Activities included:
  • 2 skating sessions in the Winter Wonderland JDF Arena for the public and one for youth. The youth session attracted many different youth groups, including some that do not regularly attend Friday evenings.
  • Santa
  • Hot chocolate
  • 8 craft and game stations
  • Christmas tree give away
• The arts and culture team was buzzing all December long. From Santa Claus pottery ornament making to reindeer stuffies, the Aspiring Artists Art Studio was busy creating holiday cheer with children in the community. The studio also hosted five Aspiring Artists birthday parties in December and two fieldtrips.

Fitness and Weights

• The fitness department is preparing for the busy season and seeing an increase in attendance in both weightroom attendance and fitness programs.
• Youth weightroom usage continues to increase which is great to see. The Regional Youth Weightroom orientations for 13-15 year-olds have been running at full capacity with several individual orientations added to accommodate the increased demand.
• Registered fitness programs for December showed strong registration with 96% of programs running successfully. Past years trends usually show a slight decline in registration for December due to the approaching holiday season, however this year December has been increasing with the new year’s rush coming early.
• Programs such as Zumba, 50+ Strength & Stretch and Essentrics: Aging Backwards have exceptionally high registration with most at full capacity. Drop-in programs are also full with indoor cycling classes, Power Circuit and Total Body Conditioning classes running near full with an average of 18 participants per class.
• The addition of several new fitness programs for January will be well supported with the current demands within the community.

Aquatics

• The aquatics department experienced a successful Winter 2023 registration with just over 1,000 swimmers, almost a 200% increase from this time last year. Demand continues to be extraordinarily high with the majority of swimming programs filling within minutes of registration opening and with more participants currently on waiting lists than registered.
• Staff continue to work hard to meet this demand. The team of nearly 50 aquatic staff has almost doubled from last December, and this month 8 more swim instructors and lifeguards were hired in time for the upcoming season.
• Over this past year, staff developed WSPR’s own in-house swimming program (WSPR Swim), and staff are proud to see its first season conclude very well. Last month 8 new lifeguards were successfully certified through the National Lifeguard program and 8 new swim instructors through the in-house instructor program.
• There have been some staffing updates. Raf Olejniczak has been appointed to acting aquatic coordinator and Hamish Babin to acting aquatic programmer. The goal is to fill the vacant aquatic program assist role by the end of the month.

Arena, Events and Golf

• The Winter Wonderland skates were a success with 19 skates booked seeing more than 700 skaters from 10 local schools and 9 private rentals. Those attending the public skating sessions during this time were able to enjoy the festive display as well. The Christmas tree sales at the lacrosse box has been steady but not as busy in this new location as compared to previous years. People were still finding out about the new location.
• The Q Centre Arena was host to 4 Grizzlies and 5 Wolves games over December as well as numerous minor hockey practices and games. Due to the great work by the parks crew during the heavy snow days, a few rentals were picked up last minute due to other regional rinks remaining closed. The PowerWest camp that was running in the Q Centre made the best of the snow, taking the kids outside for a chance to play.
• In November, the golf course saw 1,444 rounds played. November’s strong numbers have led to the course surpassing projected revenue for 2022. Following a slow spring due to weather, the golf course rebounded nicely.

Inclusion, Diversity and Equity

• Staff have been in contact with the Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria regarding their Bystander Intervention Training: Practical Anti-Racism Tools Training program. This training provides individuals practical ways to navigate tough conversations and situations around race. It is a two-part training for individuals of all ages who want to move beyond silence and be active upstanders when they see instances of racism or discrimination. Covering the following topics:
  • how to recognize and respond to racist incidents
  • the history and practices of Bystander Intervention
  • strategies to interrupt racism in different contexts and spaces
• Participants who register and attend the Bystander 1 session will also be given access to Bystander 2 at no additional cost which includes:
  • how to navigate tough conversations about racism and scenario-based training
  • how to de-escalate situations and use active listening skills
• The intention is to bring this type of training to the Westshore in 2023.

Grant Brown, administrator, added the following to the report:

• ➢ An upgrade to the Moneris payment system will occur on January 26th from 1pm-4pm and as a result the registration software won’t be available. Cash will be accepted for all drop-ins. Marketing has communicated messaging with patrons.

9. b) Skatepark update

Ron Dietrich, manager of operations, commented on the following:

• ➢ The drawings from Newline look great and the site is starting to take shape.
• ➢ Large concrete blocks from the footings of the old racetrack stands were removed from the soil. Staff were aware of these, however, the full extent was unknown and proved to be greater than expected. To compensate for the extra removal costs, a few wish list items have been removed from the project and will be revisited in the future via WSPR funds.
• ➢ The community development staff member has done a fantastic job of finding sponsorships and donations for different aspects of the project.

Geoff Welham, manager of recreation, commented on the following:

• ➢ The activity guide will include learn to skate programs led by newly hired WSPR staff.
• ➢ The park will be suitable for all types of wheels including bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, and scooters.

IN CAMERA

10. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS GUIRY 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 1.(2)(b) negotiations between West Shore Parks & Recreation and a third party.

WSPRS STAFF (GEOFF WELHAM, RON DIETRICH, AND APRIL LUNCHINSKI) LEFT THE MEETING AT 6PM.

ADJOURNMENT

11. MOVED/SECONDED BY DIRECTORS GUIRY AND ANDERSON THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED AT 6:18PM.
    CARRIED