Oliver Parks & Recreation Society Meeting March 16th, 2015.

There was another reminder for Society members and staff of how difficult it can be when coordinating the facility’s financial needs with two funding partners. By-law enforcement in the Oliver parks and Centennial Field were left up to the P&R Manager as a concession to the tense political environment between the funding partners in years past. As a result, however, very little enforcement has occurred and the Joint Service Enforcement budget of $5,000 has remained mostly unused. Cathy Cowan, the Town’s Corporate Officer, has recommended to P&R Manager Carol Sheridan, that P&R return the $5,000 and the turn over responsibility for enforcement to the Town. This recommendation was endorsed by the Society members.

The RDOS/P&R Society Service Agreement is under review due to the fact that it expired six years ago and the existing user fees are several years old. You can’t operate without policies and “you can’t operate with old policies which do not reflect realistic expectations” was the message that the P&R Manager presented to the Society when the Oliver P&R Society Agreement came up for review. As Manager Sheridan pointed out, there have been significant changes in the economy, changing priorities and demands for improved service levels; to name a few. She advised that the Arena/Hall recovers 23%, the Pool recovers 28%, Programs 29% which she considers to be a very satisfactory return. She recommends that the duration be reduced to 5 years and will be presenting a revised document for review and approval at a later date.

( As an example, the existing policy states that ‘recovery rates SHALL be calculated annually using a base line as calculated in 2003’. Sounds easy if you say it fast but a baseline of 41% excluding Capital and 33% if Capital is included are percentages set in 2003 and in no way reflect reality 12 years later.)

Grants in Aid is another policy which is under review and during a brief discussion Monday evening it was decided that the Manager is correct in recommending that traditional G in A requests must be reviewed and be tracked to ensure that they qualify for Grants in Aid and are correctly categorized. It was noted by Council appointee Petra Veintimilla that firm rules are needed to ensure clarity of applications and prevent duplication.
In the meantime, Oliver Elementary School’s request for $95 to cover the cost of the Ice Arena for a Parent vs Teacher Hockey Game was approved as was the South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association request for $900.

Carol presented her Manager’s report and advised the Society that in her opinion the P&R Staff are performing and producing at a level usually seen in facilities with double the number of staff members.