Salt Spring Island, BC– The Capital Regional District’s (CRD) Salt Spring Island Parks and Recreation Commission (PARC) has approved in principle the CRD initiating formal discussions with School District 64 (SD64) to enter into a five year lease agreement to operate the Salt Spring Middle School (SIMS) Building located at 122 Rainbow Road as a community centre beginning in July 2022.
“This is an exciting opportunity to work together with our local community groups and volunteers that have not had a permanent indoor public recreation space available to them,” said Gary Holman, Salt Spring Island Electoral Area Director. “The social bonds that people create at a community centre have strong benefits. They improve lives and help people build strong, safe and inclusive communities, social interactions, volunteerism and community pride.”
The SD64 Trustees approved a partial closure of SIMS in September 2021 and a full closure of the school at the end of June 2022.
If an operating agreement between the CRD and SD64 is reached, the new community centre will be available for not-for profit groups, recreation and public service providers to rent space based on PARC’s fees and charges guidelines to increase their capacity and better offer their program and services in the community. An open house will be held on Friday December 3 from 10am-1pm at SIMS located at 122 Rainbow Road for interested users to view the available space. A call for expressions of interest to request available space will be available following the open house.
The CRD has an established service budget for operating recreation facilities and could requisition additional funding that would be required to keep rental costs for not-for-profit user groups low. CRD has facility booking software, online registration capabilities, and staff trained in recreation programming, administration, and maintenance of recreation facilities.
For more information and updates visit https://www.crd.bc.ca/ssiparc
Proud to be recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers and Canada’s Greenest Employers, the CRD delivers regional, sub-regional and local services to 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, the CRD works collaboratively with First Nations and all levels of government to enable sustainable growth, foster community well-being, and develop cost-effective infrastructure while continuing to provide core services to residents throughout the region. Visit us online at www.crd.bc.ca.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Dan Ovington, Manager
Salt Spring Island Parks and Recreation
Tel: 250.537.4448