The president of the Mount Pleasant Community Centre Association has questions regarding the way the park boards new OneCard was launched earlier this month.
The park board announced the card with a news release sent out at 11 p.m., June 11 to media after a late-night meeting that didnt include any community centre association presidents. You have to ask what kind of meeting did it happen in and the answer is an in camera meeting, Christopher Richardson told the Courier. Then they made our private discussions public.
The system-wide membership card announced by the board will allow users access to 22 community centres as well as the citys pools, rinks and gyms. Until now, each centre had its own membership cards. The OneCard program is being introduced at some community centres July 8 and, depending on whether its ratified, at the remaining facilities in September.
The OneCard is just one component of a joint operating agreement under discussion with 12 of the citys 20 community centre associations. Mount Pleasant is one of the associations still negotiating with the park board over the joint-operating agreement. The remaining six associations have refused to enter into those discussions due to disagreements over the proposed plan.
Richardson says the board announced at the time it had ratified the OneCard with the associations still in negotiations, but he adds thats not the case.
Thats not to say Richardson believes a universal card cant be effective. But there are still a lot of questions to be answered, he says.
Marina review
NPA park board commissioner John Coupar successfully brought a motion forward Monday night asking for a staff review of the value and metrics of recreational boating.
The park board operates both the Burrard Civic Marina and the Heather Civic Marina. The Heather Marina is owned by the City of Vancouver and the park board receives an annual management fee to operate it. Revenue from managing both marinas is more than $3 million a year for the park board, while according to a recent study completed for the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C., across the province the economic impact of all recreational boating and related services is in excess of $1.4 billion annually.
In his motion, Coupar notes theres a significant lack of moorage in Vancouver for visiting boaters and in response private marinas have added stacking service facilities to maximize revenue. Coupar adds the removal of the Coast Guard dock has significantly increased wave action, which has resulted in damage to floats at Burrard Marina. Both marinas infrastructures, including their electrical capabilities, are also in urgent need of upgrading.
In response to Coupars motion, parks staff has been directed to review present practices, business operations and capital needs and make recommendations for improvements as needed.
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