After town staff confirmed many members who regularly use the weight room in the Sonora Community Centre have been abusing their membership privileges, Town of Osoyoos council voted Monday to reduce the hours of operation.

Gerald Davis, the town’s director of community services, told members of council on Monday that the system in place to use the weight room after regular hours is being abused by some members.

Four years ago, council approved the use of an after hours pass for use of the weight room at the Sonora Centre.

“The system has been working well with the exception of late night users who bring in other patrons who do not pay or acquire their own after hours pass,” said Davis.

After hearing the presentation by Davis and debating the issue, council voted to direct staff to have the weight room open from 6 a.m. until 8:45 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday. The weight room will be closed on Sunday.

The current hours for the after hours pass is from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. seven days a week.

“Currently, the after hours pass holder must purchase a minimum of a three-month pass in order to enter the weight room when the facility is closed,” said Davis. “This is an honour system and if people wanted, they can enter outside of these hours. Each person who receives a pass is given information on how to use it.

“This includes the hours of use, the mag lock on the outside and the alarm keypad on the inside.”

There are currently 38 people who have registered for an after hours pass.

This system has created many issues for staff, said Davis.

Most of the after hours users who are serious regular attendees prefer to use the facility early in the morning before they go to work, he said.

There are few people who attend at night after the Sonora Centre is closed, he said.

“The main issues with some late night users include patrons who bring in people with them,” he said. “The bigger issue is sometimes they give their friend the access code and they enter alone.”

Recently, town staff came back to work after hours to check on an event elsewhere in the Sonora Centre and noticed six people were in the weight room.

“When asked if the users had passes, only one person was registered,” said Davis. “We also ask patrons to sign a form that was developed for our weight room by the Municipal Insurance Association (MIA). Many times people who enter set off the alarm off as they do not know the procedure to close and staff has to respond to an alarm call out.”

Even though the weight room is monitored with video cameras, town staff can’t always identify who the perpetrators are, he said.

Having people who are using the facilities who are not members may also cause serious liability issues if they don’t sign a proper waiver and were to get injured while using equipment inside the weight room, said Davis.

This past weekend, the alarm system was set off on two separate occasions, which forced a staff member to have to respond to the call, which isn’t fair to them, he said.

This issue has been discussed at a number of staff meetings and considering almost all after hours pass holders use the facility in the early morning, staff recommends earlier closing hours as the best solution for eliminating this problem, said Davis.

“Our maintenance staff starts at 6 a.m. and can open the facility at that time,” he said. “When he is off sick or on vacation, a relief staff member can be instructed to do the same.”

Having a staff member available inside the building whenever an alarm is set off or if a user needs assistance is also beneficial, he said.

Once the building is closed at the end of a shift, no one can enter, even with a pass code, he said.

The weight room is currently closed for four hours on Thursday for cleaning and maintenance, but if the facility is closed on Sunday, it could be cleaned without interrupting use during regular business hours, said Davis.

“Any current user who purchased the after hours pass to work out later at night can be reimbursed if this schedule is not feasible for them,” he said. ‘Staff has checked with other facilities that are open on a similar basis and the system they have in place is more secure.”

There are budget plans to upgrade the doors and security system at the Sonora Centre in 2015 and those proposed upgrades could include providing key fobs for all members, said Davis.

Some users will be upset if the facility is not open at night past closing hours, but the alternative of extra staffing dollars for alarm call outs, staffing needs and breached security would not be in the best interests of the community, he said.

Mayor Stu Wells said it’s obvious many members are abusing the system and he approved of reducing the hours of operation to ensure this practice is eliminated.

The insurance liability issues are also crucial as the town could face dire consequences if a user without a proper membership were to get injured on town property, he said.

The decision to reduce hours is likely to upset some of the regular members who don’t abuse the system and want to have access to the weight room after regular hours, but council has been left with little choice considering how many people are abusing the system and causing liability concerns, said Wells.

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times