Fees, hours to remain unchanged at Cheam Leisure, Landing Centres during initial YMCA switchover

CHILLIWACK — Following a vote by Chilliwack City Council this past week to have the YMCA of Greater Vancouver replace Recreation Excellence as the operator of two municipal leisure centres and the outdoor Rotary pool, several questions arose from the community about fee structure, operating hours, and lifeguard compensation.

YMCA of Greater Vancouver is expected to take over the management and operation of the Cheam Leisure Centre and Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre in mid-September; the outdoor Rotary Pool normally operates on a seasonal basis from May through September.

The move brought about online concerns from a vocal swim advocacy group on Facebook, but City Council stuck to its guns and went with the $10 million bid over five years from YMCA of Greater Vancouver compared to a $13.1 million bid from Recreation Excellence.

An independent consultant estimated a $13.5 million cost if the City of Chilliwack operated it in-house over five years, but Chilliwack councillors expressed concern this past Tuesday (Aug. 16) that the City lacked sufficient expertise to do so.

Following the vote, the City unveiled a question-and-answer page on its website in which it emphasized that service hours at the two leisure centres remain unchanged until April 2023, at which time longer operating hours are expected contingent upon staffing levels.

Under no normal circumstances will the YMCA cut or reduce services, according to the Q&A. The City states the YMCA is required to meet the services as outlined in the request for proposal and no service cuts are anticipated under the contract.

Image: Supplied by Recreation Excellence / Service fees and operating hours will remain the same when the YMCA of Greater Vancouver begins operating the Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre and Cheam Leisure Centre in mid-September.

The current drop-in fee at the leisure centres will not change once the YMCA assumes control. Drop-in and membership rates are established by Chilliwack council, resulting in no fee change. While the basic fee structure is set through a Parks, Recreation and Culture bylaw, lesson and specialized activity fees will be set by the operator.

Lifeguards and swim instructors will be paid between $20 to $22 per hour as determined by council earlier this year.

Memberships will not be required to access the Cheam or Chilliwack Landing, but an existing YMCA membership from their lone Chilliwack facility will not work at the leisure centres.