Fees at the Castlegar and District Community Complex will be going up in September.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) Board of Directors approved a new fees and charges schedule for recreation admissions and rental fees across the district at its July meeting.
The new fees apply to drop-in, single-use, punch passes, and time-based memberships, as well as rental rates for aquaticcentres and other facilities.
RDCK community services manager Joe Chirico says the new fees reflect an increase of 3.7 per cent based on the March 2022 British Columbia Consumer Price Index (BCCPI).
“RDCK recreation services are funded through a combination of user fees and taxation, and recreation is subsidized by the community for everyone’s benefit,” says Chirico. “This framework allows the RDCK to enable lifelong participation in recreation and reduce barriers to recreation for children and youth.
“Costs for our operations have increased with inflation and are reflected in the new fees and charges, but we are still able to deliver high-quality recreation services at great value for users.”
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Last year the RDCK introduced a new fee model for admissions. This included free admission for children under five years old and adults over 75 (100-per-cent subsidy or 0-per-cent cost recovery). Fees in the adult category were subsidized by taxation at 50 per cent (50-per-cent cost recovery), while fees for youth aged five to 18 are subsidized at 75 per cent (or 25-per-cent cost recovery).
The new fees for 2022 follow the same framework.
Single admission fees for adults will be $7.26, youth ages five to 18 will be $3.63. A single admission family pass will be $14.52.
A ten-visit pass will be $65.34 for adults and $32.67 for youth. These passes expire after six months.
Monthly passes will be $65.34 for adults, $58.81 for the second adult in the same household, $32.67 for youth and $29.40 for youth when purchased along with an adult pass.
Three and six month passes are also available and the longer the pass, the deeper the discount.
Rental fees for all facilities, except for aquatics, are also increasing by 3.7 per cent.
Aquatic rental fees will be calculated using facility operating costs and policy-directed recovery rates. Some aquatic centre rental users may see an increase or decrease from previous area-specific aquatic centre rental rates.
The RDCK will continue to offer Leisure Access Passes to families and individuals with financial need. These passes reflect a 50-per-cent discount on admission fees. To learn more visit: rdck.ca/EN/main/services/recreation/leisure-access-program.html.
betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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