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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS-20-01 , ~ THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON REPORT Meeting: General Purpose and Administration Committee File # !to c( Res. dll- Jg7-o I Date: June 18,2001 Report #: CS-20-01 By-law # Subject: COURTICE COMMUNITY COMPLEX - EXPANSION Fitness Membership Program Recommendations: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report No. CS-20-01 be received; and, 2. THAT the Fitness Membership Program for the Courtice Community Complex be approved; and, 3. THAT the 2001-2002 Fitness Membership Fee Schedule for the Courtice Community Complex be approved. 1.0 BACKGROUND 1.1 The construction of the 14,640 square foot Courtice Community Complex Fitness Center expansion is scheduled to be completed late fall of 2001. 1.2 By design, the Municipality currently offers a limited fitness program and membership at the Courtice Community Complex. Due to the restricted size and number of pieces of fitness equipment located within the existing facility, membership programs have been limited, however, there are a number of current members who have expressed a desire to sustain the membership with the Municipality upon completion of the expansion. 1 .3 The expansion will offer significantly more opportunities to enhance fitness programs as well as instructional, leisure and recreational programs; and, ultimately attract a large membership base. 1.4 The Community Services Department recognizes the need to sustain the current membership during the construction period, and to develop an affordable, yet competitive marketing program to attract potential new members prior to opening the facility. The membership capacity of the fitness room is projected at 2,000 members. 811 .../2 , REPORT NO.: CS-20-01 PAGE 2 1.5 The fitness centre program, the facility's physical components and staffing qualifications, will comply with accreditation criteria of the Ontario Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (OASES) which is the recognized authority for certification of fitness centres in Ontario. 1.6 All membership applications will be required to meet the OASES Par-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire) criteria, specifically with applicants who are over 45 years of age or applicants with a previous serious medical condition. In both cases, a medical clearance will be required prior to the processing of the application. 2.0 MFMBERSHIP PROGRAM - CURRENT MEMBERS 2.1 The existing fitness area will be incorporated into the expanded facility and will be redeveloped as part of the new fitness area change rooms. At a critical point in the construction period, the existing facility will no longer be available to the current membership. In order to sustain membership subscription, staff will provide alternate fitness operations during the construction, limiting the shutdown periods that will affect overall operations at both the pool and fitness areas. 2.2 The south room of the Courtice Community Complex Multi Purpose Room will be temporarily converted for this use. Conversion of this space will permit continuation of existing fitness programs with limited impact on the current membership programs. The projected closure of the existing fitness area will be limited to approximately 12 to 16 weeks during a time period in which the Multi Purpose Room bookings will be rescheduled or transferred to an alternate Municipal facility. 2.3 In addition to the weekend permits, the Community Services Department also offers summer day camps in the Multi Purpose Room. This program will not be affected by the closure. 2.4 The projected costs for this conversion is $8,000.00 and will include rubber flooring throughout, installation of mirrors and privacy blinds. All materials will be installed on a temporary basis and removed at the conclusion of the conversion. These materials will be re-useable within this complex or the arenas. The projected cost includes restoration of the Multi Purpose room once it is no longer required for this purpose. Funds are provided within the construction contingency for this purpose. 812 .../3 , REPORT NO.: CS-20-01 PAGE 3 3.0 MFMBFRSHIP PROGRAM 3.1 I n conjunction with the project consultants, staff has conducted an extensive survey of both private and public facilities to determine the most suitable membership strategies for the Courtice Community Complex and the residents of Clarington. 3.2 The membership program is designed to attract residents who are interested in physical fitness and healthy lifestyles. The center is not being designed for those who wish extensive weight training amenities. or specialized training. For those members who require personal services and assistance to achieve desired results, Personal Training Staff will be available to assist. 3.3 Proposed Hours of Operation in the fitness centre will be extended to meet the demands of the membership. Current hours of operation are: Monday to Friday Saturday Sunday 7:30 am to 10:00 pm 9:00 am to 9:00 pm 10:00 am to 9:00 pm Proposed hours of Operation are: Monday to Friday - 6:00 am to 10:00 pm daily Saturday and Sunday - 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Staff will monitor these hours to ensure the requirements of members are addressed; particularly those members who commute and may wish to use the fitness centre either prior to/or returning from work. The hours will also be monitored to ensure maximum and effective utilization of both facility and fitness staff. 3.4 Staff recommend seven (7) Membership categories: . Adult (18 to 64 years of age) . Seniors (65 and over) . Youth (limited to 16 and 17 years of age) . Corporate . Family . Summer . Post Secondary Students 3.5 The current members who have annual memberships will be honoured For the balance of their renewal period. Renewals after July 1, 2001 will be prorated to the period ending June 30, 2002, providing a full year at current rates. 813 . ../4 , REPORT NO.: CS-20-01 PAGE 4 3.6 Our survey of both private and public fitness centres within the region indicated services provided through most clubs vary with the clientele attracted. We also discovered that each facility offered a wide variety of different amenities. None of the private facilities offer pool facilities. A number of centers did not offer aerobics studios and those that did only offered aerobics classes and did not offer a variety of recreational or leisure programs. 3.7 In most cases, privately operated facilities offered low annual membership fees, however require administration fees and maintenance fees in addition to membership fees. Private clubs also offer low initial membership fees and strive to up-sell clients to longer annual, multi-year or lifetime membership contracts. It was also discovered the private clubs would reduce their fees to the perspective client' in order to secure a contract whereas public facilities were obliged to charge the approved council rates. When conducting our survey these variances made our analysis very difficult to compare facility-to-facility/service-to-service. 4.0 MEMBFRSHIP FFFS 4.1 The membership fee is based on the annual Adult Membership, which is recommended at $395.00 per year. Seniors and Youth will be discounted by 25% in each category. 4.2 The current Corporate Membership Program was developed in 1993 and was created for the Clarington Fitness Center aquatics and squash memberships. The intent of that program was to offer the opportunity to local area business to subscribe to the corporate membership plan for a fee of $150.00 and each new employee application would receive a 25% discount from his or her membership fees. This program has not been effective over the past number of years, subsequently the program will be revised to encourage a minimum number of ten (10) membership applications; eliminate the $150.00 corporate registration fee; and each membership will be discounted by 25% and offered to all business establishments, commercial, industrial and institutional agencies where ten (10) or more clients subscribe at the time of the initial membership application. To qualify for Resident Corporate Membership, the establishment must have a head office or branch operation located within the Municipality. This program is similar to that of other municipalities within the region. 4.3 A discount will be offered to families where more than one resident applies for membership. These members will receive discounts of $100.00 per category after the first full adult membership. (For these purposes, Family is defined as immediate related family members who reside at the same residence address.) 814 .../5 , REPORT NO.: CS-20-01 PAGE 5 This application can be combined with an additional annual adult membership, annual senior's membership or annual youth membership. Staff recognize there will be anomalies to these membership categories and will make every effort to address those anomalies through the membership program. 4.4 The existing 1-month membership offered at the Courtice Community Complex fitness facility will be eliminated. The original intent of this membership was to allow prospective members 30 days to try the facility. Once certified under OASES criteria for membership, each applicant will be required to complete a fitness assessment (PAR-Q) prior to activation of their membership. Accordingly, 30 days is not sufficient to complete the assessment and receive the benefit and value of the assessment criteria. 4.5 A new three (3) month program will be offered to permit the members and staff to properly assess the members' condition and suitability for access to the fitness floor. The recommended base fee for the three-month program is $150.00. Full time post secondary school students who are enrolled in 4 month co-op programs, upon proof of current registration at an accredited post secondary school facility, will be eligible to receive an extended thee month program over a four (4) month period for the same fee. 4.6 A summer membership is also offered for the period May 1 to Labour Day and is recommended at $150.00. This is traditionally a slow time period for fitness centers and will encourage potential members at an introductory price. 4.7 The three-month, post secondary school discounts and summer introductory prices are not eligible for additional reduction under the Family Members discount. 4.8 Non-residents will also be eligible to apply for membership. The fee structure for non-residents will be based on a 25% premium to all other rates. 4.9 Staff is establishing a cancellation Fee of $65.00 in all fitness membership categories applicable only if a member elects to cancel their membership prior to the completion of the membership term. This fee is based on administrative costs and replacement cost for membership cards. 815 .../6 '. REPORT NO.: CS-20-01 PAGE 6 4.10 Recommended fees for September 2001 - August 2002 as described above are outlined as follows: Category Resident Annual Three Month $ 395.00 $ 150.00 Non Resident Annual Three Month $ 495.00 $ 190.00 $ 295.00 $ 295.00 295.00 $ 125.00 $ 125.00 $ 370.00 $ 370.00 $ 160.00 $ 160.00 $ 190.00 5.0 PAYMENT SCHFOIJI F 5.1 In order to offer a more attractive marketing opportunity, staff will implement an optional Electronic Pre-Approved Payment Plan for annual members. This would require a $65.00 down payment and the balance equally divided over the subsequent eleven months. There is no premium required to subscribe to this program. The Community Services Department computerized Membership Program is designed to administer this program in conjunction with the financial institution. After the initial down payment, the full adult membership fee would be $32.51 per month for eleven months. 6.0 COMMENT 6.1 The aforementioned establishes a foundation for the development of a Fitness Membership Program for the Courtice Community Complex. Over the next few months, Community Services Department staff will continue to develop a detailed program outlining membership benefits. 816 ../7 REPORT NO.: CS-20-01 PAGE 7 6.2 In addition to the fitness program, staff will also be expanding recreation and leisure instructional fitness programs to complement the fitness components of the Complex. 6.3 An extensive membership drive will be initiated by Community Services Department staff over the next several months in order that residents will be able to fully access the Courtice Community Complex at the time of opening prior to the new year. This will include open houses at the complex, early bird registration discounts and members information sessions. Traditional fitness interest months are September and January at which time membership drives will increase membership and financial viability of the Fitness Programs. Respectfully submitted, Reviewed by, c) fV~~-~ p P. Caruana or of Community Services Franklin Wu, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Chief Administrative Officer JPC/BRT/CG 817