A private fitness facility’s request for council to examine how it will offer the same services in the future Mutliplex received a mixed response from council last week.
Not all politicians were receptive of the request and in particular, Councillor Ed Russell drew attention to the fact the municipality has been in the business of providing this service for a while.
“We have to keep one thing in mind,” Russell said. “The Town has been in the business of fitness facilities since before the Multiplex came along.”
Coun. Jim Ridley expressed concerns the Town is being asked to look into a proposition for one private business operator.
It was Mayor Ron Casey who pointed out the request from Athletic Evolution was not specific to their business.
Specifically, owner Brad McEwen asked council to consider using the space and resources allocated to the fitness facility for something else, consider putting its operation out to tender and make it subject to free market conditions or operate the facility, but develop fair and transparent operating model with rates similar to private operators.
Russell was particularly concerned with the possibility the Town is being told how and where to set prices.
“We are being placed in a position of saying here is how you will set up your prices,” he said, adding the whole idea of a town-owned facility is to operate it at a rate that is affordable to average citizens.
An annual gym membership at Athletic Evolution costs $625, at LifeWorks it is approximately $576 and at the Rec Centre it is $225.
Similarly, drop-in fees at the public facility are currently $3.75, compared with private fitness facilities that average between $15 and $17.50.
Councillors John Borrowman and Hans Helder each pointed out the importance of council being diligent on any issue where taxpayer dollars could be used to subsidize providing a service that competes with private businesses in the community.
“I do not think there is any harm in at least investigating leasing the fitness facility to a private operator,” Borrowman said, adding the climbing wall and food services at the Multiplex are also being contracted out. “It speaks to fairness in the community when you are using taxpayer’s dollars, some of them from the businesses that you will be competing with in a public facility.”
Coun. Gordie Miskow proposed to forward the requests to the community services advisory committee.
However, the original motion to refer it to the Mutliplex steering committee, said Coun. Joanna McCallum who sits on that body, would include the input of the services group.
“Because the Multiplex steering committee is responsible for what is happening with the Multiplex, I think they should be the one to handle the issue,” she said. “Within that process itself I think the community services advisory committee will be involved.”
McCallum added it was unfortunate fitness facilities were not included at the beginning of the consultation process for what would be included at the Multiplex.
Only councillors Miskow and Russell voted against the motion.
