Tuesday, March 19, 2019 ~ WEST SHORE.
~ West Shore Voice News
A new dry floor training space is planned for where the curling rink now at the West Shore Parks & Recreation (WSPR) facility in Colwood, it was announced today, March 19. WSPR is owned by five municipalities: Langford, Colwood, Highlands, Metchosin and View Royal.
“The West Shore Parks & Recreation Board of Directors has directed staff to convert the Juan de Fuca (JDF) curling rink into a dry land floor space for use by the growing number of sports teams, recreational programming, child care and other West Shore user groups,” it was stated in a release marked ‘urgent’. UPDATE: The ‘dry land floor space’ will be the installation of artificial turf, for sports activities.
The space is considerably large: 18,720 sq ft. The revenue potential and ability to provide a wide range of programs and offerings is quite evident.
“While participation in many sports is increasing steadily, curling accounts for about 3.4% of all sports participation and is not growing in lockstep with population growth, according to provincial and national data,” it was stated in the release.
A few statistics were made available by WSPR:
- The JDF Curling Club has 260 members who live on the West Shore, with another 50% from other parts of Victoria. Of the total 520 members, 18 are youth members.
- The JDF curling rink is booked for just over 20% of available operating hours, leaving the space unused 80% of the time. The lounge space above the curling rinks also sits empty a large percentage of the time.
- These low participation and usage rates translate into high operating costs. For each person that comes to curl, West Shore Parks & Recreation must pay an additional $11.24 to sustain the facility and operations. In comparison, the subsidy per usage for the JDF Arena is $4.26 and the JDF Pool is $2.07.
While curling is still popular with some, the idea is that a dry floor surface would provide a broad range of uses to participants of all ages, including team sports training, physical literacy training, boot camps, gymnastics, after school care, events and more.
Child care spaces are also in high demand on the West Shore and re-purposing the upstairs lounge for child care would also benefit many families.
“This was an extremely difficult decision for the West Shore Parks & Recreation Owners and Board of Directors,” said project consultant Jonathan Huggett. “With limited resources and a growing population, West Shore Parks & Recreation facilities and programs must be designed and multi purposed to provide for the greatest number of West Shore residents to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle.”