Image: Supplied by Recreation Excellence / Chilliwack City Council is set to vote on a bid from YMCA of Greater Vancouver to operate the Cheam Leisure Centre, Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre, and Rotary Pool for the next five years.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Tuesday vote

YMCA may replace Recreation Excellence as operator of Cheam Leisure Centre, Chilliwack Landing Centre and Rotary Pool in Chilliwack

Aug 14, 2022 | 5:00 PM

CHILLIWACK — The days of private company Recreation Excellence running the Cheam Leisure Centre, Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre, and outdoor Rotary Pool may be numbered.

Chilliwack City Council is set to vote on a proposal at its meeting this Tuesday (Aug. 16) that would see the YMCA of Greater Vancouver take over in September as the sole operator of two leisure centres and an outdoor pool for the next five years.

According to a staff report from Ryan Mulligan, director of recreation and culture for the City of Chilliwack, a request for proposals to manage and operate the three facilities went out earlier this year. The request for proposals closed June 15, at which time city staff reviewed two proposals received from Recreation Excellence, the current operator, and YMCA of Greater Vancouver.

The five-year bid from YMCA came in at $10,027,777 versus a much higher five-year bid of $13,163,288.04 from Recreation Excellence. A six-member evaluation team examined key components in the request for proposal paperwork and considered such technical criteria as proposed programming, facility maintenance strategies, community engagement, key facility management personnel, corporate and management experience and references, financial expertise, and employee recruitment, training, retention and wage strategies.

YMCA registered a proposal score of 85.7 points, while Recreation Excellence recorded a much lower score of 55.7 points.

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The city staff report indicates the City of Chilliwack hired an independent consultant to explore the cost of running all three venues if the City itself managed and operated the facilities. The consultant came back with an estimated cost of $13.5 million to operate all three over a five-year span.

Image: Supplied by Recreation Excellence / The Chilliwack Landing Leisure Centre, pictured above, could soon be operated by the YMCA of Greater Vancouver instead of Recreation Excellence, the current operator.

Glen Savard, director of finance for the City of Chilliwack, noted in the staff report that this projected $10 million bid from YMCA is greater than what was anticipated or planned. As a result, the costs as outlined in the proposal will be incorporated into the city’s financial plan for future years and a tax increase will be required in 2023.

Recreation Excellence has operated Chilliwack’s leisure centres since September 2015. The staff report made it clear that both Recreation Excellence and YMCA of Greater Vancouver included competitive wages in their respective proposals.

However, YMCA’s presence in Chilliwack for over 50 years was touted in the report as “successfully providing health, fitness, aquatics and family programming.” Its proposal submission provided the best overall value to the City of Chilliwack and met all the mandatory specifications, policies and project objectives as outlined in the request for proposal requirements.

The five-year contract would run from September 12, 2022 through September 12, 2027.

There is a plan to increase operating hours at the leisure centres starting in April 2023.