Gearing up for the grand opening in October later this fall, Chris Kinch, the Director of Strategic Projects for YMCA of Northern British Columbia has recently released a document summarizing and outlining the operating plan recommendations for the Vanderhoof Aquatic Centre.
Since the District of Vanderhoof recently contracted the YMCA of Northern BC to develop the operating plan and strategy for the facility, the document, which details the purpose and the background information that was prior to the release of the report, ultimately sheds light on multiple key factors.
Foremost, the proposed hours of operation listed in the report states that the aquatic centre will operate for 48 weeks per year, with an average of 79 hours of operation per week.
These hours of operation have been reportedly put forth after taking public feedback into account, as well as observing comparable communities in B.C., such as Smithers, Houston and Fernie.
Currently, the proposed hours of operation list Monday to Friday from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with an hour closure between 1:00 and 2:00 PM. The aquatic centre would be open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Saturdays and 12:00 to 6:00 PM on Sundays, respectively.
With this proposed plan, the Vanderhoof Aquatic Centre would be open on Stat Holidays, from 12:00 to 4:00 PM.
The report states that this tentative schedule seeks both balance and consistency across the week for all users.
There has been particular support by the public — observed through a public survey and community engagement events — that wished for extended hours in the early mornings and in the evenings, with the report expressing that the one hour closure on weekdays inhibits this request.
Additionally, since the Vanderhoof Aquatic Centre will be the first of its kind in the community, staffing requirements are extensively defined in the report, stating that “identifying locally qualified individuals who may already be present in the community to support the operations” is of the utmost importance.
Furthermore, the report states that there will be a specific focus on training and developing qualified individuals within the community, to hopefully ensure that future staffing needs will be addressed without a problem.
Per the report, the equivalent of approximately 11 full time jobs have been recommended, ranging from a centre manager a lifeguards to front counter cashiers and aquatic team leaders, among other positions.
Usage and user fees is another aspect of the proposed operating plan that is particularly interesting to the public, as the residents of Vanderhoof and the surrounding communities will ultimately be the ones using the anticipated facility.
The target usage, which is clearly expressed in the report, is just under 25,000 general uses annually, discounting programs and special events that may be put on by the aquatic centre.
That being said, there are currently two proposed methods accessing the centre — passes and drop-in.
The document states that passes will either be made available through a monthly subscription or annual basis, with a recommended target of maintaining 120 pass holders per month. That target assumes that there will be an average of 10 visits per month by each individual pass holder.
Monthly pass rates for adults are tentatively listed as $42, with seniors and youths at $31.50. Children 12 and under will be able to obtain monthly passes for $14.50, while family passes are listed at $82 per month. These are all reportedly under the average market price.
Correspondingly, annual pass rates for adults are being proposed at $504, with seniors and youths both being listed at $378 per year. Annual passes for children under 12 will supposedly be $174, with the annual family pass rate being $984.
Proposed drop-in rates have also been established by comparing the rates of similar communities with similar facilities. The recommended target for drop-in uses is 850 per month.
Adults would pay $6.50, with youths and seniors at $5. Children under 12 would have to pay a $3.70 drop-in charge.
Finally, the proposed facility schedule outlined in the report shows a total of 10 hours of pool time dedicated to lessons per week, with a capacity for approximately 725 participants accessing lessons annually.
This is a result of the public survey, in which 66 per cent of respondents cited a desire for swim lessons to be featured at the pool.
According to the report, swimming lessons will be available in multiple formats, which include parent and toddler lessons, children and youth lessons, private and semi-private lessons, adult/senior lessons, as well as the opportunity to explore options to provide lessons through schools and to special user groups.
School programs, specialty programs, swim club and aqua fitness programs have also been acknowledged in the proposed operating plan, with ample time being dedicated to them as well.
Ultimately, the report says that regular day-to-day operations are the currently the top priority in the months leading up to the opening of the aquatic centre. Feedback is reportedly being retained and the intention is that some — or all — of the public’s requests will be accommodated. However, the report states that it is not recommended that all of these will be included on the opening day schedule.
More information will be made available regarding the operating details as the centre gets closer to opening later this fall.
