A majority of the recreation complexes were busy with activity from July to September, which was best highlighted by the number of memberships taken out and the attendance at each centre.
Both pools were active during the third quarter of this year, with 32,653 people using the Kinsmen Sportsplex pool for 1,621 hours and 10,008 people using the Phyllis Dewar outdoor pool for 667.50 hours. In comparison, 29,403 and 9,951 people, respectively, used the pools during Q3 in 2018.
There were 66 aquatic memberships in use during the third quarter, compared to 13 last year. Overall, 140 memberships have been taken out during the first nine months of the year, compared to 69 in 2018.
A report went to city council’s Nov. 12 regular meeting providing details about the activities of every department during the third quarter. Council voted 6-1 to receive and file the document; Coun. Brian Swanson was opposed.
Arenas
A total of 251 hours were booked at all three arenas — Bert Hunt, Wally Boshuck and Kinsmen — during the third quarter, compared to 158 in Q3 last year. From January to September, a total of 2,329.25 hours had been booked, compared to 2,456.25 last year.
A total of 259 recreation passes were sold during the third quarter, composed of one-month, three-month and 12-month memberships. Year-to-date, that number is 355.
YaraCentre
With YaraCentre coming under full management of the parks and recreation department, the use of the building increased, according to the data.
The turf hosted 630 football players during the third quarter, 310 soccer players, 170 baseball players, and 625 people with other groups, for a total use of 1,735 users and 112 hours. In comparison, 945 people used the turf during the 2018 third quarter for 68.5 hours.
Drop-in attendance also increased for many of YaraCentre’s programs, such as after school, the gym, 55-plus fitness, turf drop-in, adult track use, senior track use and youths track use. There were 1,375 people who used the building’s services during the third quarter, compared to 1,275 users last year.
Total memberships sold at YaraCentre during Q3 were 231, while 1,068 memberships were sold during the first nine months of this year.
Cemeteries
Regular casket burials might have increased during the third quarter compared to last year, but cremation burials still remain popular and more people continue to choose this option to bury their loved one.
There were 10 regular burials — 42 year-to-date — during the third quarter, compared to seven and 27, respectively, last year.
There were 47 cremation burials — 92 year-to-date — during this year’s third quarter, compared to 54 and 113, respectively, last year.
Requests for service
The parks department received requests from residents to handle concerns, in areas such as horticulture, green spaces and pruning.
Data for the third quarter and year-to-date shows:
- Horticultural calls: 73/110
- Calls about green spaces: 29/34
- Pruning: 146/214
In comparison in 2018, Q3 and year-to-date showed:
- Horticultural calls: 50/80
- Calls about green spaces: 10/22
- Pruning: 84/150
The next regular council meeting is Nov. 25.
