The park board has changed the venue for its public meeting tonight, Feb. 4, to help address public concerns regarding its proposed joint operating agreement, also called the Community Partnership Agreement.
The meeting will now be held at 6:30 p.m. the West End Community Centre, 870 Denman St. The meeting was initially scheduled to be held at the park boards administrative office on Beach Avenue, which holds 200 people. Considering more than 1,000 citizens attended three meetings on the subject last week, the meeting was moved.
The meeting was arranged to attempt to answer questions from the public regarding the proposed joint operating agreement, which would see the park board taking revenue from room rental and programs at community centres. For more than 40 years that revenue has been retained by those community centres non-profit, volunteer-driven associations and used for everything from staffing to programs to computers to helping build actual buildings, such as rinks and pools. The Vision Vancouver-dominated park board argues the money should be pooled into a general account to be distributed amongst "poorer" centres. The park board calls the recommendation non-negotiable.
The associations say by removing that revenue, their ability to raise money in order to qualify for federal and provincial matching grants, would be negated.
Vision Vancouver park board chair Sarah Blyth said the meeting was called to ensure the correct information is reaching the public. On Tuesday, Jan. 29, two emergency meetings were held at Kerrisdale Community Centre, as well as one at Killarney Community Centre, regarding the proposal, which would see a centralization of the centres. During the afternoon meeting held at Kerrisdale Community Centre, vice-president Robert Lockhart said the park board has threatened that association with eviction if it doesnt comply.
In an open letter to Community Centre recreation participants, Blyth wrote in part, Please be ensured that all programs and services now being delivered at the community centres will continue uninterrupted. Seniors services, childcare, youth sports activities and other key programs and services will continue. Its business as usual
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