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Fitness fee hike in motion

Campbell River council is moving forward with a proposal to raise the cost of work out fees at the Sportsplex

Council is moving forward with a proposal to raise the cost of work out fees at the Sportsplex.

At its March 4 meeting, council asked city staff to bring forward a bylaw that will increase the rates.

Coun. Ron Kerr said the city’s Community Services, Recreation and Culture Commission discussed the fitness rates and determined the rates should be re-evaluated.

“The commission found the suggested rate increases, and changes in general to the bylaw to be well researched, and reasonable, particularly given that the majority of fitness rates and fees contained in the bylaw have not changed substantially since 2010,” Kerr said. “The commission agrees with the suggested changes to the fitness rates and fees.”

A six-month youth and senior individual pass is expected to change from $155 to $157 while nine-month individual passes will rise from $197 to $202.

A one-year individual pass for youth and seniors will go up from $229 to $235.

The city will also be eliminating family and group passes (of eight to 11 people) for the Sportsplex’s fitness/weight room and the racquetball courts due to fledgling sales.

The changes are in response to Mayor Walter Jakeway’s call two years ago for rate increase options for city parks, recreation and culture programs.

While youth, seniors, and group rates will all be affected, individual adult rates will stay the same.

Some group passes for adults, however, will go up.

A six month pass group pass for 12 or more adults will increase from $154 to $178, a nine-month pass will go up from $204 to $229 and a one-year group pass for 12 or more adults will cost $267, up from $236.

Lynn Wark, the city’s recreation and culture manager, said the changes proposed will bring the youth and senior rates more in line with other rates, increase revenues, and streamline business practices.

Other changes include capping the 12+ group size pass at 20 people to cut down on the amount of administrative work required to process the group at the front counter, as well as dropping the group pass discount from 20 per cent to 15 per cent.