Lyonel Doherty, Times Chronicle
Parks and recreation services in Oliver will transition back to the town at the end of the year, resulting in the dissolution of the Oliver Parks and Recreation Society.
Chief Administrative Officer Ed Chow said it is common practice for parks and recreation services to be managed in house.
The town and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) believe the transition will “better serve residents” of Oliver, Osoyoos and the Osoyoos Indian Band, Chow said.
The administrator noted that parks and recreation users will see no change in the day-to-day accessing of programs.
Chow added the transition will lead to long-term asset management planning to ensure the longevity of the pool, arena, and local parks.
He pointed out that a Recreation Advisory Committee will be formed to make recommendations to the town and the RDOS.
“There will be no change to the complement of parks and recreation employees who will form part of the Town of Oliver team,” Chow said.
Oliver Mayor Martin Johansen said the society governance model worked well, but there was clearly an opportunity for improvement when it came to capital planning, strategic planning and operational costs.
Johansen said the governance change will provide better connectivity to the community, more timely access to grants and a quicker response to emerging issues.
He confirmed that parks and recreation will join the town as a separate department overseeing programs and services.
“I’m very excited about the change . . . this has been a collaborative decision making process with everyone working together to improve the delivery of services for residents,” the mayor said.
Society director/chair Shiela Lange reflected on the reason behind the move: “To bring back the decision making to a more local level.”
Lange said the society should save money in administrative costs paid to the RDOS.
“So generally, as far as I understand, the volunteer board function would remain substantially the same.”
Lange said the Town and Area C director appreciate the volunteer work that the society has done and have stated “they have no desire to see it disband.”
Lange said the only people who will see a change here is parks and recreation staff who will effectively become town employees rather than an independent group.
Parks and Recreation manager Carol Sheridan said she is very proud of the work that society staff and the directors have done since 2005.
“It has been challenging at times to do this work as a third-party organization separate from local government, and I believe there will be many benefits and efficiencies realized by recreation services being managed by the Town of Oliver under a direct joint service agreement with the RDOS.”
Sheridan noted the parks and recreation team will stay intact and continue to do what they do every day to look after the facilities and bring recreation activities and special events to the area.
Area C director Rick Knodel favours the shift in governance, saying it mirrors the agreement that Area A and the Town of Osoyoos has.
He pointed out it provides opportunities to lower administrative costs.
