By Vanessa Broadbent
Oliver Chronicle
The changes to the weight room at Oliver’s Community Centre will also come with a change in fees, as decided at the Parks and Recreation Society board meeting on Monday.
Fees normally increase by two per cent every year to match inflation, but for 2018 fees will increase by ten per cent.
In 2016, the department renovated the weight room by adding new equipment, and in 2017 it also hired part-time attendants to monitor the space.
Carol Sheridan, manager of Parks and Recreation told the board that the extra revenue will help with the continued maintenance of the new equipment.
“We’re going to have to stay on top of that,” she said.
Sheridan also said that with employees now staffing the facility, there has been no theft, everyone using the weight room is verified to have a membership or have paid admission, and users can ask staff for help using the equipment.
“It’s safe, people feel comfortable,” she said. “They’re getting that value added having someone in there showing them how to use the equipment safely.”
Sheridan also said the increase will bring the fees closer to market value.
“Our room admission fees are very low in comparison,” she said, noting that a three-month senior membership at the increased rate is $81.60 but at a facility in Penticton it’s $152.
“We’re a lot smaller of a community but our weight room has just as much to offer in my opinion.”
The increase, which will apply to drop-in admissions as well as memberships, will be a one-time change, with a return to the two per cent increase in 2019.
