Contributed - Membership rates for Salmo and District Recreation’s Fitness Centre will increase on July 1, the Regional District of Central Kootenay announced today.
“After we met with the Salmo and Area G Recreation Commission and crunched the numbers, we realized there is no way to sustain services unless we increase Salmo’s membership rates. This increase is essential to keep the Fitness Centre operational and it is not a decision that was taken lightly,” said Joe Chirico, General Manager of Community Services.
Salmo has benefitted from the lowest fitness membership fees in the RDCK, partly due to a budget surplus accumulated early in the fitness centre’s existence when the bulk of services were delivered by volunteers. Now that the surplus is gone, rate increases will help to cover staffing and operational costs.
Chirico says low-income families within Salmo and Area G can apply for the Leisure Access Program, which reduces membership costs by 50 per cent.
“We want to make sure everyone in the Salmo area has an opportunity to access recreational facilities.”
The RDCK employs a recreation programmer, two part-time employees, one on-call employee, as well as instructors and volunteers who operate the fitness centre, instruct group fitness and other recreation programs in Salmo. The complex itself includes a fitness centre, gym, multi-purpose room, youth centre, kitchen, and a music recording studio.
“Recreation services in Salmo are extremely important to everyone in our area from tots to seniors,” said Hans Cunningham, Salmo and Area G Recreation Commission Chair and Director for Area G. “Our recreation services go a long way toward encouraging community connections, increasing activity levels, and providing opportunities to improve quality of life. We need to keep them affordable and we need to keep them sustainable.”
As of July 1st, a one-month adult membership at the Salmo and District Recreation Complex will increase from $28 to $50, while a one-year membership will increase from $185 to $335 and drop- in rates will remain the same at $6 per visit.
A full list of rates is available on the RDCK website and is included in the upcoming Leisure Guide which will be mailed to all residents of Salmo and Area G shortly.