Port Moody residents will get first crack at registering for city recreation programs.
On Tuesday, Jan. 23, council approved a pilot program to allow city residents their own exclusive 48-hour window before registration is opened to all.
The program will be implemented in time for summer program registrations and staff will report back on its effectiveness at the end of the year.
In a presentation, Nathan Taylor, Port Moody’s manager of recreation, said 70 per cent of recreation programs in the city are fully booked and more than half the people put on wait lists are local residents. He said priority access for residents would likely improve the probability they would be able to get into high-demand programs.
Taylor said ensuring access for Port Moody residents can be especially challenging for swimming programs at the city’s two outdoor pools as the lack of an indoor facility means the season is short.
He said the city considered extending the season for its outdoor pools, but ensuring more spaces for Port Moody residents is the most viable way to improve access.
Coun. Callan Morrison, who introduced a resolution to give Port Moody residents priority access last July, said they’ve been effectively locked out of programs in surrounding communities. Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Burnaby and New Westminster give local residents an exclusive registration window for their recreation programs before opening them to the public at large.
“We’re surrounded,” he said. “It’s important we do what we can to ensure our residents can access our own pools. I think it will be well received.”
Coun. Kyla Knowles said while she was initially cool to the idea, priority access for residents is one way the city can cope with growing demand for its programs as the population of the Tri-Cities increases.
Coun. Haven Lurbiecki agreed.
“This is a reflection of a much bigger problem of how we are going to meet our needs as we grow.”
When councillors first discussed the idea last July, most agreed a collaborative approach would be preferred and vowed to put the matter on the agenda for any future meetings between the councils of neighbouring cities.
