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Community centres associations lawyer up

Operating agreement talks reach impasse

At least two Vancouver community centre associations have sought legal advice on how to proceed with stalled talks regarding joint operating agreements with the Vision Vancouver-dominated park board.

"It's sad these associations have had to hire a lawyer to protect themselves from the park board," Stew Jordan told the Courier Tuesday afternoon.

Jordan is a former, longtime park board employee hired as a consultant by both Sunset and Kerrisdale community centres to assist in finding efficiencies and help negotiate their joint operating agreements. The former senior staffer took early retirement in 2010 after 45 years with the park board, 33 of which he worked permanent full time.

Jordan said after speaking out against budget cuts that made no sense to him, including the elimination of funding for eight programmer positions at community centres, he was warned by his supervisor he could be disciplined for not supporting the board's 2010 operating budget. Jordan resigned instead.

The park board asked the associations for $600,000 in 2009 to save those positions as a one-time deal. The board is now asking the more affluent of the city's 23 community centre associations to once again chip in, but both Kerrisdale and Sunset have refused.

"The park board is using these associations as a bank," said Jordan.

As for negotiating a new joint operating agreement, both Sunset association president Karl Gulbransen and Kerrisdale Community Centre Society second vicepresident Kathleen Bigsby said talks are stalled.

Vision Vancouver park board chair Aaron Jasper said there are several points in the joint operating agreements the park board won't budge on. The board wants all community centres to accept its Flexipass, purchased by users, as well as its Leisure Access cards for users with financial need. Some community centres don't accept either.

Jasper added since the associations make money from park board facilities he has no problem asking them for money.

"We pay the lion's share of the staff and utilities so I don't think it's unethical to ask for a share of their retained earnings," said Jasper.

But Bigsby said her community centre is in desperate need of a new pool and ice rink, so that association will instead spend its money on a feasibility study. Bigsby defended her centre's policy of not accepting Flexipass or Leisure Access cards for use of its fitness centre. She explained the Kerrisdale association paid for its fitness centre with no help from the park board and spends up to $12,000 a year on new equipment. As for Leisure Access cards, Bigsby said it was jointly agreed the park board will review who qualifies, but to date there has been no action.

"They've now called a meeting for after the election," said Bigsby. "It's a sad statement that it's now all about what suits this corporate park board and not its patrons."

As for Jordan, Jasper called him a disgruntled ex-employee. Jordan has no problem with that label.

"If the definition of a disgruntled employee is someone who stands up and says, 'This is wrong,' then that's me," Jordan said. sthomas@vancourier.com

Twitter: @sthomas10