Editor:
I am concerned about the admission fee structure at Elevation Place and want to share some thoughts with Canmore residents and visitors alike.
There are two admission-fee options for pool users:
An annual membership ($504 for an adult; $1,092 per family). This provides good value based on an average of two visits per week all year long, but poor value for someone who swims less often.
A full-facility drop-in fee ($15 for an adult; $29 per family). This fee allows access to the pool, fitness centre and climbing wall for the entire day. Again, good value for a multi-hour visit; poor value for a quick swim at lunchtime.
A lack of options for different user groups is sorely missing in the fee structure.
For example: The only option for a multi-day pass is an annual membership. Ten-visit or one- and three-month passes are not available. Families that swim once a week, seasonal workers, weekenders and people who choose to swim in certain months (e.g. winter only) would not find value in an annual membership.
If a membership is not worthwhile to the user, the only other choice is to buy a full-facility drop-in pass. Again, good value when several hours are spent using the entire facility; not so good for a quick after-dinner swim with children or a half-hour lane swim at lunch. Nor is it good value for the tourist who wants to have a quick swim and soak after spending the day hiking or skiing in the mountains.
Every municipal multi-use facility recreation centre I have researched has a pool-only option that includes drop-in rates that range from $5-7 per adult. At Elevation Place, this rate is $15. That is 214 to 300 per cent higher than the other pools I have surveyed, and 316 per cent higher than what it currently costs at the Canmore Recreation Centre.
It must also be noted that when I asked for an example of a successful membership-only comparison for Elevation Place, Westside Recreation Centre in Calgary was named. I contacted the City of Calgary to learn more about the Westside facility and was told it is privately run, unlike the municipal-run Elevation Place. A big difference in economics, I would think.
Not everyone in town is suited for a year-long membership at Elevation Place. A door is closed when there are no reasonable alternatives available to casual users, part-time residents, seasonal workers, families that swim once a week, lane swimmers, seniors... the list goes on. Surely admission options that include a more affordable pool-only drop-in fee and shorter-term multi-visit passes would ensure (and encourage) access to everyone. At a municipal pool (supported by the tax base), I expect these options.
Helen Rolfe,
Canmor
