Editor:
I would like to know what is exactly “elevating” about Elevation Place?
I have done my homework and it makes me feel very low. I cannot afford to take my family to this new facility for any reason. I was very much looking forward to teaching my baby to swim there and go for an after-dinner swim or hot tub for myself and my husband.
The fees for Elevation Place are ridiculous. An annual membership ($504 for an adult; $1,092 per family). Or a full-facility drop-in fee ($15 for an adult; $29 per family). Well, maybe not so bad if you have two or more children, go to the pool more than three times a week or are above the average income bracket in Canmore.
I am curious if the beginning stages of this project would have been approved if the residents of Canmore knew exactly how much it would cost out of their pockets to use the facility? Not the extra tax money we are already paying, but the annual and drop-in fees?
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 Rec Centre.
When approaching the people selling memberships I was spoken to rudely. The only answer to the high rates was “What do you expect from a brand new facility?” I expect to be able to take my child swimming on a regular basis.
The sad thing about the situation is Canmore now has an award-winning world class facility that is out of reach for many of the residents and takes any “elevation” out of my perspective on our new community facility.
Joanne Bokitch,
Canmore
