City looks to the fall to reopen more facilities

St. Albert city council has approved plans to reopen more city facilities at the end of August.

Starting the week of Aug. 29, the Landrex Water Play Centre, community gymnasium, indoor artificial turf, fitness and recreational programming at Servus Place will be available for residents with some modifications.

A week ago, council endorsed a plan to open the facility's running track, fitness centre and three indoor arenas as early as the week of July 19.

Diane Enger, recreation and parks director, said Servus Place is likely the most complex of the city's recreation facilities to reopen because of its wide range of amenities and large spaces. 

"The operation of Servus Place will look quite different," Enger said. 

Sneeze guards will be installed, tables and chairs removed, signage put up, and staff may be masked or distanced, she said. Instead of people simply dropping in, facility use will be booked, planned and structured. There also may be reduced operating hours to accommodate enhanced cleaning.

"Facilities will align to the sport and recreation offering and not so much the social and gathering experience that people have enjoyed at Servus Place," Enger said.

"As provincial guidelines change and relax, our service delivery will adapt and will ramp up to meet the demands in the community."

Reopening and operating Servus Place until the end of the year will cost the city $2.9 million, including costs to staff the facility, buy supplies, insurance and utilities. Casual and permanent staff will be recalled, but permanent staff may take up some of the duties of casual staff as a cost-saving measure.

The city expects to make $1.6 million from paid passes, memberships, program revenue at 30 per cent capacity, advertising and sponsorships. Memberships will be activated upon reopening.

While Enger said the health risk is low to medium for staff and residents, reopening Servus Place was identified as a high financial risk. Doing so would result in a $1.3-million net loss. 

"Pools are always more costly to operate than other recreation facilities, in addition to the additional cleaning requirements," she said. "Financial viability will also depend on the readiness of the public to return to the facility, which is still unknown."  

Community clubhouses are expected to open the week of Aug. 29, right in time for the fall when the city sees the most demand from local community groups, including Guides and Scouts. The city is expecting to make $3,000 to reopen the clubhouses and will spend $18,700 to operate them. 

Shows at the Arden

Concerts, dance performances, theatre and film screenings at the Arden Theatre should start the week of Oct. 1.

That gives city staff time to confirm with artists, advertise upcoming events, prepare the backstage, lobby, concession and seating areas, and train staff and volunteers on new procedures, said Kelly Jerrott, director of community services.

All professional programming is built on a cost-recovery model to recoup expenses related to artist fees, staff time, marketing, ticketing, and hospitality. Shows and performances will be offered with in-person and online options.

The city is expecting to spend $18,500 to bring back shows to the Arden with an estimated revenue of $26,000, resulting in a $7,500 profit.

The city has help from grants to support professional arts programming in the fall, including $16,000 in emergency funds from the Canadian Arts Presentation Fund in addition to a previously awarded $66,000 grant. 

"These grant allocations could be at risk if professional programming is not approved for the remainder of the year, so we may have to return those grant funds," Jerrott said. 

Community Services employees are working closely with regional partners, artists and corporate service providers to make sure there's a smooth transition, she said.

Theatre rentals are expected to resume the week of Oct. 15 at a cost of $6,400, with revenues of $8,000.

"We do believe that there's considerable community benefits from having the location available to share, create and celebrate safely together," Jerrott said.

Council passed the recommended dates unanimously. They also directed chief administrative officer Kevin Scoble to provide policy direction on several factors, including the public's desire to return to pre-COVID service levels and avoid property taxes in 2021, and the city's current financial situation. 

Coun. Ken MacKay asked what the ramifications were of opening these facilities up sooner. Percy Janke, emergency operations centre (EOC) director, said that would present challenges on human resources, materials needed to reopen and time to train staff. 

According to a recent market research study conducted by Stone-Olafson, Edmontonians show a greater interest in arts and culture than the provincial average, yet hesitation to reopen these facilities is high.