Good afternoon, directors. We’d like to call the inaugural meeting for the Kelsey Senate Review Committee to order and the first order of business is to elect a chair and vice chair and so we’ll call for nominations for those positions. First of all, for the chair, please.
I nominate Director Sennett. Director Sennett, you’ve been nominated. Would you accept that nomination?
I would.
Thank you very much. Are there further nominations for the position of chair? Kelsey Senate Review Committee.
For the third and last time, hearing none, we’ll declare Director Sennett elected as chair by acclamation. Thank you. And for the position of vice chair, may I have nominations from the floor, please?
I nominate Director Baker. Director Baker, would you accept that nomination?
I would.
Thank you very much. Are there any further nominations for the third and last time for vice chair? Hearing none, declare Director Baker elected as vice chair by acclamation and we’ll turn the meeting over to Director Sennett as your chair.
Thank you.
Hello. Well, we’ve already done the election. I just would like to ask the people online to identify themselves.
You’re all muted. John Thomas, acting CAO for the Village of Sayward.
Michelle Davis, recreation manager of the Kelsey Centre.
My corporate officer is saying Lisa Clark. Is that who you think is the other person? Yes.
Okay. So, I appreciate everyone who’s here and I’m at the point where we acknowledge that we’re located in the traditional territory of the Likweto people and that I’d look for a motion that the agenda for the February 19th, 2025 inaugural meeting of the Kelsey Centre Review Committee be adopted as presented. Move adoption.
Any discussion? All in favor? Any opposed?
That’s carried. We have no petitions and delegations. We don’t have minutes yet nor business arising.
I have no report from the chair, but I see we have staff reports. Next we have the committee terms of reference. So can I have a motion that the report from the CAO be received?
Motion to receive.
Seconded by Mr. Wally. Or, sorry, Commissioner Wally. What do you call him, Commissioner on this one?
Director? Director Wally? Okay, Director.
Thank you. Any discussion? All in favor?
Well, if I just can, just committee terms of reference open if, you know, anyone has additions, changes, edits to make. This was just our stab at it based on some of the discussion and the comments that were made. So this is not saying it’s an oil painting, but this is what we have to offer.
Yes, Director Baker.
The only concern that I have is the two municipal directors and two electoral area directors. So a two and two. So I guess I have a concern if we go into ties.
Mr. Yates?
Well, thank you, Madam Chairman. The committee terms of reference were actually ratified by the board. So if the committee wishes to make changes, then I think a recommendation to do so would be in order and that would be dealt with at the next board meeting.
In the meantime, it is what it is. And so as the CAO has mentioned, it’s not necessarily, there’s a lot of subjectivity attached to the topics. So if you stray too far, I think it would be up to the chair to bring, to rein in the discussion, if you will, to the point under discussion.
Yeah, my role would only be if there was a tie, which it wouldn’t be with three, but go ahead, Director Wally.
Thank you, Madam Chair. As we progress through each one of these items on the agenda, I’ll have the motion to make. As my comments here, I’d just like to point out that this committee has evolved from the Mayor of Campbell River’s motion on October the 9th of 2024 at the Municipal Services Committee.
And his motion was that the Kelsey Center be included in the additional participation report for Electoral Area A and the Village of Sayward. Now, somehow this was done before the board was even aware that staff was going to recommend an additional participation report. That happened seven weeks later on November the 27th of 2024 board meeting.
But so far to date, we’ve not received any word of direction from the Village of Sayward’s Council. So this committee doesn’t really know where this initiative really came from or what the Village Council actually wants from the Strathcona Regional District. So the motions that I’m going to make as we go along here will be requests for specific items of information.
Thank you.
So maybe if I can, Madam Chair, just add some context to Director Wally’s mention there and explain that maybe I took a liberty or two in that we had an initial report from Electoral Areas and I believe it was Director Rice that said, hey, let’s look at including areas A, B and C in Strathcona Gardens. So that passed and then we had a Regional Recreation Report too that we’re doing at the same time. And in my mind, and you know, happy if the board wants to change the decisions or directions I’ve taken, you’ve got a motion from a director that says include Area A in Strathcona Gardens when they’re literally five seconds from the Kelsey Centre.
So in my mind, I logically dissect that off into looking at Area A and the Kelsey Centre and kind of separating it from that initial motion. Because also if we remember, it’s not an exact science, but one of the things the consultants did was kind of put a radius around things that may be quote unquote reasonable in terms of who participates in a service. And using that similar logic in the village and the valley seemed to be more appropriate partners to review.
So I kind of segregated Area A and the village off of the Kelsey Centre and then left with the remainder of Areas B and C looking at Strathcona Gardens as D is already in.
Yes, thank you. And I think it was also perhaps some discussion at the Strathcona Gardens on receipt of the Regional Recreation. Perhaps it was at this board and the opportunities or the potential for backup services if the worst case scenario had happened in terms of the gardens losing its pool and the availability of the Kelsey Centre as a potential backup.
There was then striking us in terms of what is the time and various connections we can do to strengthen our communities in our regional area. There was sort of a combination to be perhaps not expressed.
Yeah, I think so. And so therefore I took the liberty. So if it was the cart before the horse, I did that.
We need to hire our consultant to look at Strathcona Gardens and the participants that may or may not be involved in that. And the same consultant, we’re going to use resources for them to look at the village and the valley. That just seems to make a lot of sense to me.
Okay, so is there anything more on the terms of reference at the committee terms of reference or are we just going to revisit it potentially at another time for an update after we’ve had a little bit of time under our belt?
If I may, Madam Chair, is there anything to receive in this or?
We currently have a motion on the floor to receive the committee terms of reference. That’s why I’m asking if there’s anything.
I have nothing further.
Okay. All in favor? Any opposed?
That’s carried. So now we have a staff report with respect to information on the Kelsey Centre facility will be provided. So I take it there’s nothing in writing and we’re just going to be hearing from staff?
Right, if I can again, Madam Chair, take some liberties in that the committee was at the direction of the board and so we don’t, you know, we created the terms of reference but we, you know, it wasn’t staff’s kind of idea to create this committee. It came from the directors. Director Wally had a number of questions.
So we extracted from his list of questions or editorials some talking points just to get the ball rolling here. So we have, excuse me, so there’s no staff reports but we’re happy to extract these and hopefully use them as talking points that we can kind of narrow down our direction and our scope of what we want, what we need to do, whatever we’re going to do.
Yes, Director Wally.
So to start with, what the village does with their own facility would be, of course, absolutely no concern to the board if it were not anticipated that they want something related to the Kelsey Center from the SRD. So just exactly what that is has never been resolved by the village council. So I’d like to make a motion to that effect but are we on a receipt motion currently or is that motion in order?
We don’t actually have a motion on receipt. It was just we’re going to be having information provided so then we would have a motion to receive the verbal report, I’m assuming.
I’ll move a motion to receive the verbal report.
We don’t have a verbal report at this point yet. We’re waiting to hear from staff.
I think it’s coming from you. I think you’re going to, the intent was…
Oh, I have a motion to make but we can receive the CAO’s comments, I guess.
Sure. Oh. Anything to get the ball rolling?
Yeah, I have a motion coming up. I just want it to be in order here.
Okay, just for clarity, Mr. Yates is the corporate officer, perhaps Director Winney, we’re wondering why there’s village staff available if they’re going to be giving us a verbal report as well. I just want clarity at this point.
I don’t, Madam Chair, I don’t believe anyone is planning to. This is kind of we’re trying to get the ball rolling here and staff don’t have the questions from any directors or any committees on what to provide. So we’re trying to get some questions out there so that then we can resource and research these and then provide reports back.
But we got to get it off the Schneid here.
So Director Winney.
Thank you, Chair. I guess when I saw this agenda and the item that says Kelsey Center Facility Description, I was kind of hoping that maybe perhaps Director Baker, who is the mayor for the village of Sayward, would be able to sort of provide an overview of the Kelsey Center. Because personally, I’ve never been there.
I don’t know how many square feet it is. I don’t know the things that are encompassed within it. And I feel like maybe just some real like basic groundwork would be in order.
If that’s possible to receive or to hear.
So just for clarity, yes, Director Baker, but I just wanted I’m just checking with Mr. Yates. I heard a motion from the two of you, but he did not. So he did not record it.
So that’s where we’re at.
Okay. Go ahead. This is the motion that I intend to make.
Are you saying?
I think you had a motion to receive a report from the CAO. That’s what I did hear. Yeah.
And I received a report from the CAO and I understand we’re on receipt at present.
Correct. Sorry to make confusion. Now, Director Baker on that motion with respect to the CAO.
Did we have a seconder on that?
Director Baker.
Okay. So what was suggested from Director Winney actually suggested from Madam Chair was we set up a time to where the committee can visit the Kelsey Center and see firsthand exactly what it is. So I think the best way other than somebody verbalizing the square footage of the facility would be to set a time and a time and date that works best for the committee to come and actually take a walkthrough with our director, Michelle, from the Kelsey Center, I think would be the best opportunity to learn and see firsthand.
And Madam Chair, we could work that out in the future amongst ourselves.
Sure. So I appreciate. Does that answer your question, Director Maloney?
Not really.
Do you have a light on? I think that having a visual like in-person tour would be really helpful, but there are a couple of other items on this agenda and one of them, you know, the next one is called current operating costs. But I understand sort of like, you know, through I don’t even know word of mouth or whatnot that the Kelsey Center is a rather multipurpose building.
So when we’re talking about things like current operating costs as we will be on the next agenda item.
I’m going to take control of the meeting at this point. Yeah. So we’re either on the motion to receive the CAOs and then we’re going to move on to other items so we can get this meeting done.
So is there further discussion on the motion to receive the CAOs? I don’t want to interrupt you if you have something on that. I think you’re talking now about the operating costs and other desires.
No, I’m not talking about the operating costs. I’m talking about the fact that we’re on an item called Kelsey Center facility description. And I think that I personally would like to hear I’m open to a tour, but I would really appreciate also just getting a little bit of a basic understanding.
Yes, Director Baker.
Sure. We’ll get our director or manager of the Kelsey Center, Michelle Davis, to report on that, please. Would you like to give a breakdown of the Kelsey Center?
You’re muted.
Hi, thank you. Yes, I can give a breakdown of what the Kelsey Center consists of as in rooms and programming and facilities that we have here. We have a 18.6 meter length indoor pool along with change rooms. We have a gymnasium, a multipurpose room, which is where we consist of different programs that we have offered in that space. We have a weight room. We have a food safe kitchen that we run certain programs, senior programs out of.
And as for square footage, that’s something I will have to get back to you on. I couldn’t give you the exact square footage off the top of my head. Sorry, is there anything else that you might be asking that I can be a little bit more specific on?
Yes, Mr. Leach. I just want to set expectations here of that. We’re starting at zero.
We need something. Typically, the board committees will give us direction and we’ll populate it. We’re starting at ground zero here.
We don’t have anything to get us rolling. So we took topics or headings from Director Wally’s list and populated them here to inspire resolutions so that staff can go back and produce this stuff. So, you know, who am I to say Kelsey Center facility description?
Hopefully, there’s a resolution that says can provide a report that outlines what it is, what it does, so on and so forth. And then so on and so forth with the current with the existing agenda items up there. And then when we bring those back, we’ll have things to discuss and debate and figure out solutions for.
Yes, Director Baker, I’d like to get to the vote, though, or you don’t have anything. OK. OK.
Thank you. All in favor of receipt of the CEOs report. Thank you.
None. Any opposed. It’s carried.
Yes. Director Wally.
OK. My motion is and Edith has these. If you’re able to put them up.
The first one is I move that the village of Sayward Council be requested to clarify to the Kelsey Center Review Committee specifically what they would want from the SRD. Do you second?
Second. Discussion on the motion. Mr. Wally, you have Director Wally of the floor.
Well, as I previously said, so far, as far as I know, I don’t think council has specifically discussed this. I would anticipate that they will discuss it and they’ll come up with what exactly they would like from the board, specifically area and communicate it to this committee and we’ll proceed from there.
Any further discussion? OK. All in favor.
Any opposed. That’s carried. Go ahead, Director Wally.
Do you have another item?
Oh, I do. OK. Just as a follow up to the item to the Kelsey Center facility description, I was hoping that I could make a motion on getting a report on that.
Is now an OK time to make that motion? Absolutely. OK, great.
I would like to move that staff provide this committee report on with a description of the Kelsey Center facility. Do I need to be more specific than that or that’s good?
OK. Are you talking SRD staff? Yeah.
Yes. I think so.
Yes. Yeah.
It would be weird to ask a different staff for that.
Yes. OK. Thank you, Mr. Director Wally. Is that clear enough for staff to work on? Thank you. Any further discussion?
All in favor. Any opposed. That’s carried.
Shall I go to item three, current operating costs to generate your next motion, Director Wally?
Thank you, Madam Chair. For item number three on current operating costs, I move. And it just has it on the screen.
I move that the Village of Sayward Council be requested to provide to the Kelsey Center Review Committee an update as to the current status of the operability of the facility, including boiler repairs, hot tub leaks, if any, and other known problems. And furthermore, an accounting of secured and appropriated grants for the Kelsey Center, including an itemized list of what those grants would be spent on, an accounting of village reserve funds appropriated for the Kelsey Center, including an itemized list of what these appropriated reserves will be spent on, and a copy of their 2025 to 2029 financial plan.
Second. If I may, Madam Chair, I’m not sure they have a 2025, 2029 financial plan yet. Maybe.
Maybe.
Be close. Well, they’ve got to have a plan eventually.
Yeah. They have until May.
Until May?
Yeah. That’s correct.
Is that what you’re going with? That’s correct. May 15th.
Well, when it’s available. You’re going to add that little phrase, when available.
Any further discussion? I know we have the Mayor sitting as Director Baker. Is this a reasonable request?
Time frame. Let me just refer to my CAO, John Thomas.
Good afternoon, Board. Thank you for the question, Mr. Mayor. We can certainly provide the accounting for grants the Council Centre has received in the past, for 2024 and prior.
Reserve funds, that’s not a problem for us to produce as well. Those have both been tabled at Council meeting a few weeks ago. The 2025 to 2029 financial plan is in draft form and is subject to change and adoption by May 15th, as mentioned.
We can provide the draft document we have developed to date, with the big caveat that it is iterative and will change. Those are all public documents at this time.
I’ve got Director Wally and then Director Baker.
I’m done. Madam Chair, we’d be content with whatever the Village is able to provide. That’ll be a good starting point, at least.
Okay. Any further discussion on the motion? All in favour?
Any opposed? It’s carried. Robin seconded it.
Yes, Director Moody.
I just had a question, or maybe I see that the motion is kind of trying to understand the current financial status of the Kelsey Centre. And I’m wondering if then an updated amended version of the 2024 to 2028 financial plan would also be helpful for that.
Well, I think the 2020 to 2025 to 2029 draft financial plan will have a year to date for 2024. So, I think it will all have it in it.
So, I think we’ve done now with the current operating cost item. And we’re now to planned improvements and renovations. Director Wally.
Number four, planned improvement renovations. So, I move that the Village of Sayward Council be requested to provide to the Kelsey Centre Review Committee an up-to-date asset management report for the Kelsey Centre, which details include maintenance and upgrades with cost estimates. And furthermore, the approved schedule for those maintenance and repair items to be undertaken.
Any reports regarding long-term planning for the pool area, including its anticipated lifespan. And finally, the most recent inspection results for earthquake resilience and code compliance with special regard to potential liability issues.
Second. Thank you. Got to make it a live motion.
Director Wally, if you want to speak to it, get your lights on. Or is it, then it’s going to be Director Baker.
Well, my thoughts behind this, Madam Chair, are that in the end, if AREA was to create a service to fund, help fund the Village on this facility, it would be only appropriate that the ratepayers would know what the potential costs could be, and what the capital repairs might be, and hopefully this will begin to bring those things to light.
Yes, Director Baker. My concern with the reports that you’re asking for, never mind the fact that it’s going to take X amount of time, it’s going to cost the Village quite a few dollars to actually get those reports from engineers.
If I’m not wrong, Madam Chair, is the Village not required to have a management asset plan?
Yeah, but some of the other things that you’re asking for…
Like what? Well, the, what was the… Well, I got the long-term planning for the pool area.
Correct, and cost. It doesn’t say cost. It costs with…
There’s no cost in this.
CAO, Thomas, what do you think?
I believe this is a very broad motion, and a couple of things stand out to me immediately. The asset management plan or report that the Village has would have been a dated one that has been approved. In 2024, the Village is in receipt of a draft review.
That hasn’t even made its way to Council yet internally, and I think it would be inappropriate for myself to disclose information that rightfully should go to Council first, and then Council refer it to the SRD, so that would need some time. With respect to updated or reports regarding long-term planning, I’m not sure what is meant by that sentence, because long-term planning for the pool, Council has not made any decision adverse to the pool at this point. There have been some decisions at the committee of the whole level, initial decisions I might add, but as far as I’m aware, there isn’t any new planning directives issued by Council with respect to the pool, so I’m not sure we would be in a position to provide that information or to fulfill that request.
The most recent inspection results for earthquake resilience and code compliance. Mr. Mayor, you’re correct. An assessment would need to be done about earthquake resiliency and code compliance before one could be provided to SRD, and I’m not aware of any such report existing at this time.
I see Director Wally. Director Wally?
Thank you, Madam Chair. I’m sure that everyone understands that these potential future costs have to be revealed before the Village and Valley can come to an agreement on this, because everyone knows that once you enter a service, it’s virtually impossible to ever get out of that service, and once you’re tied into it, you’ve got to know what the future costs are going to be. This is a 50-plus-year-old facility.
I think, realistically, we understand that there’s going to be some enormous capital costs coming up. They have to be identified. There has to be some kind of schedule for when those costs are going to come to be realistically expecting the taxpayers to sign into this.
So if it takes time for the Village to develop these things, well, that’s fine. We’ve got time. There’s no rush.
We’re already past the 2025 budget anyway. So this is for 2026, so take your time, but do it right.
I wonder, Madam Chair, too, if there isn’t some of this information, because we are going to have a consultant working on, as I said, both the gardens and this. This could be information where gaps need to be filled, right? So if it’s not there, that’s fine, but included in the consolidated report, we’d have to identify these gaps and, you know, assign some values or times or whatever to it.
Yes, yes. I just want to follow up to what David said there, that the consultant, of course, can’t put anything in his report that the Village doesn’t tell him because that’s where the source of information is coming from. So over time, these things are going to have to be discussed by Council and resolved.
Yes, Director Baker?
At a cost to whom?
Well, I think to discuss at Council doesn’t cost you anything to make a plan. No. And you’re already going to have your asset management panel tell you what needs to be done.
So the scheduling is just up to Council. I don’t think there’s any cost involved in this.
You have a comment, Director Baker? So we’re still on this motion. Yes, Director McWinnie?
Thank you, Chair. I felt like the motion was pretty open-ended because the Village of Sayward Council is being requested to provide those items. So if, in fact, one or more of them don’t exist or they’re a dated version of a file from, I don’t know, 10 years ago or eight years ago or something, they could provide that information that it was a gap.
And then we’ll know that in the future, if this needed to progress, maybe that gap needs to be filled and we could discuss the financial implications of that at that time.
Any further discussion on the motion? All in favor? Any opposed?
Seeing none, it’s carried. And we’re down to usage by public. Go ahead, Director Wally.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the Village of Sayward Council be requested to provide the Kelsey Center Review Committee usage statistics for the village and area residents separately and by age category. And I might add, Madam Chair, commenting on this request, if they don’t have it by age category, if they don’t have this and that, if they provide us what they have or what they’re able to get, I’m sure that’ll be a good starting point.
I mean, when I made up these motions, I had no idea what information was going to be presented. I tried to make them fairly specific, but if they’re too specific, well, we’ll take what we can get.
So do you want to add a statement at the end of that to say that or as best as they can provide?
Well, it’s just a request. As best as they can provide what they’ve got.
Do we have a seconder?
Excuse me. I’ll second it.
Thank you, Director Jimenez.
I don’t see any issues with getting this report. Does anybody from Sayward see an issue with getting that?
CAO? We would be happy to provide the information as best as possible. I don’t know if we store information based on age category, but we will certainly provide our usage statistics similar to last November.
If I might, Madam Chair. Yes, Director Wally.
Yeah, I’ll just point out to the CAO that I would prefer that rather than saying we had 4,000 visits, which might mean you had 40 people came 100 times or 400 people came 10 times, if you could be a little bit more specific. Thank you.
Anything further following up from this motion? Any further discussion? All in favor?
Any opposed? That’s carried. Is there any other motions, particularly about doing a visit involving SRD garden staff to potentially be involved?
I was trying not to make the motion.
I’m excited for a tour of the Sayward Village and the Kelsey Center. So I will make a motion that the Kelsey Center Committee, is that what we’re calling ourselves? Kelsey Center Review Committee, schedule an opportunity for a site visit of the Kelsey Center.
Okay. Second by Director Wally. Is there any objection to including relevant staff as picked by the CAO to attend with us?
No problem at all. Any further discussion? Director Baker?
No. I’m sure that we can set up a time with our rec director. Would that work for you, Michelle?
Absolutely. I would love to give the tour.
Thank you.
Okay. Any further discussion? I’m seeing none.
All in favor? Any opposed? That’s carried.
Is there any other items on the agenda or other motions that want to be brought forward to sort of get staff working on this?
Move termination.
Need a seconder? Second. Thank you, Director Moody.
All in favor? Any opposed? I think we’re terminated.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, those from Sayward. I appreciate it. Thanks for coming in for your holidays, John.
