The cost to work out at city facilities may be going up.
The city is proposing fee hikes, as well as the elimination of family and group passes for the fitness room and racquet ball courts at the Sportsplex.
The rate increase is in response to a council resolution passed two years ago, on Feb. 28, 2012 at council’s finance committee meeting.
That resolution, made by Mayor Walter Jakeway, called on city staff to report back to council on options to increase rates for parks, recreation and culture programs.
Two years later, Lynn Wark, the city’s recreation and culture manager, has her report.
“Recreation and culture department fitness staff have conducted a thorough review of current rates including a comparison of rates and fees to other municipalities and to private sector facilities,” Wark said in a report to the city’s Community Services, Recreation and Culture Commission.
As a result, staff are recommending an increase to the youth and senior individual and group pass rates for the fitness/weight room and the racquet ball courts at the Sportsplex.
Staff are also recommending the elimination of passes for families and groups of eight to 11 people for the fitness/weight room and the group racquet court passes due to poor sales.
Other changes include capping the 12+ group size pass at 20 people to reduce the administrative work required to process the group at the front counter, as well as changing the group pass from a 20 per cent to a 15 per cent discount.
Wark noted there has not been an increase to fitness rates since 2010 and at that time, the youth and seniors rates were not changed.
Wark said the changes proposed are in “an effort to bring the youth/seniors rates in line with other rates, increase revenues, and streamline business practices.”
Increases
- Youth/Senior six-month individual pass to change from $155 to $157
- Youth/Senior nine-month individual pass from $197 to $202
- Youth/Senior one-year individual pass from $229 to $235
- All Youth/Senior group passes to increase by between $24-$43, depending on the length of the pass