HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-08-005 - Snow Day Programming at City of Kitchener Facilities
Report To:
Date of Meeting:
Submitted By:
Community Services Committee
Prepared By:
Ward(s) Involved:
Date of Report:
Report No.:
Subject:
January 7, 2008
Mark Hildebrand, Interim Director, Community Programs and
Services (x2687)
Natascha VolI, District Facilitator (x2503)
All
December 24, 2007
CSD-08-005
SNOW DAY PROGRAMMING AT CITY OF KITCHENER
FACiliTIES
RECOMMENDATION:
For Information and discussion.
BACKGROUND:
During the winter season there occurs, from time to time, days when the Public and Catholic
School Boards decide to close schools for the day in anticipation of severe winter weather. In
most instances the severe weather will hit the region and besides schools, other businesses
including City of Kitchener facilities, will close because it is unsafe for people to travel in to work
or participate in programs. However there are instances when the severe winter weather may
not materialize in the region and, while both school boards have determined to close schools for
a snow day, others in the region, including businesses and City of Kitchener facilities, remain
open and in operation.
At their meeting November 13, 2007, Council directed staff to investigate the possibility of using
City of Kitchener community facilities (community centres and pools) as a place for families to
take their children during those days when the Public and Catholic School Boards have closed
schools due to snow. Staff was asked to review options and bring back to Council for
consideration and discussion.
For the purposes of this report, severe winter weather is defined as heavy snowfall, which can
be accompanied by high winds and severe cold, which can result in paralysis of the
transportation systems or cause accidents and close roads because of significant snow build up
and/or slippery roads and sidewalks. A snow day is defined as a day when schools have been
closed, by the School Boards in anticipation of severe weather, however other businesses in the
Region, including City of Kitchener community centres and pools are open and operating
because the anticipated severe weather does not materialize.
Report No. CSD-08-005
REPORT:
Page 2
Use of City of Kitchener facilities during a severe winter weather event
The City of Kitchener Community Services Department has developed guidelines to identify the
authority and when it is appropriate to close facilities due to severe winter weather, where
conditions may compromise either the safety of patrons or staff during normal operations.
Throughout the winter, the CSD operations division provides various City of Kitchener staff
current information about weather and road conditions throughout the city. In the event of
severe winter weather entering our region, the operations division provides ongoing status
reports on the winter storm as well as the current capacity of keeping roads clear and safe for
travel. This information is vital for staff when considering and preparing to close facilities. Other
indicators that staff use to assess and determine if we should close facilities include the
following:
· On site staff has been reduced (staff cannot get into work / staff have received
permission to leave the site for legitimate reasons) leading to reduced customer service
and compromised site safety,
· Walkways, entrances, fire exits and parking lots of the specific facility cannot be cleared
or kept clear and safety cannot be ensured,
· Energy systems (hydro, gas, water) or phone systems are intermittently failing,
· Course instructors or user groups have indicated they will not be present to attend
programs,
· Police have recently issued a request to residents to stay off roads,
· Grand River Transit has begun running behind schedule due to poor road conditions,
· Road closures are announced due to inclement weather,
· Schools are closing early or have not opened,
· Local businesses are in the process of closing or are closed, and/or
· The weather forecast predicts that the inclement weather will worsen throughout the rest
of the day or evening.
In addition to these indicators there may be unique situations, specific to a site, which may
determine whether or not it remains open including:
· Specific needs of the clientele (e.g. tots, seniors),
· Ability to terminate events or programs in progress,
· Financial implications / service provisions to events, tradeshows, user groups and
private sector rentals, and/or
· Legal contracts/agreements with clients and partner groups.
In the incidence of severe winter weather, based on the information gathered, the General
Manager of Community Services in consultation with the CAO and the appropriate Directors and
their staff determine whether or not to close facilities. In the event that facilities are closed, the
appropriate building supervisors are informed and Corporate Communications notify the media,
place a notice on the City's website, and send out an all department email.
Report No. CSD-08-005
Page 3
As noted above, staff does not consider closing facilities during severe weather unless
conditions dictate that it is unsafe or not possible to travel. As such, during severe winter
weather, when it has been determined that facilities should be closed and programs cancelled,
staff are suggesting that it would not be safe or feasible to prepare and staff any type of
programming for children who are home from school.
It should be noted that if severe weather causes concerns for public safety, the Region's
Emergency Response Plan would activate and Community Resource Centres and Pools may
be used for supporting emergency initiatives as needed.
Use of City of Kitchener facilities during a school snow day (a severe winter weather
event is anticipated but does not materialize)
There are instances when the Catholic and Public School boards anticipate a severe winter
weather event, make the call to close schools, and find that the severe weather either missed
the region or did not hit as hard as was expected. In these instances, schools in the community
are closed and businesses, including City of Kitchener facilities, remain open and operating. It
is during these instances that parents may find it challenging to locate childcare, or activities
that are constructive for their family. It is also these instances where they may look to the City
of Kitchener's Community Resource Centres and Pools for program options for their children.
Currently, the City of Kitchener Community Services Department does not provide any type of
snow day programming, outside the informal activities in or around our facilities as outlined
below. Many of our facilities already have formal planned programs operating throughout the
day and in many instances the facility lacks space to provide any additional programming.
Snow day programming, if implemented, could displace current Neighbourhood Association or
City of Kitchener programs which will alternately impact the registered participants.
Snow day proqram options at Community Resource Centres
Community resource centres are places that welcome neighbours throughout the year. When
schools are cancelled, some children do come to their local community centres in an informal
way. They play on the connect KW computers, use the outdoor winter rinks, access the local
book libraries and meet up with friends. Staff who work in these facilities ensure that everyone
is allowed to enjoy the facility and have ensured that those who come to the facility are safe and
welcomed. This informal attendance at community centres is already in place and is a key
service to the community. Local libraries are also available to those who are looking to spend
some time outside their home on a snow day.
Currently our Community Resource centres are programmed throughout the day and evening,
Monday to Friday, primarily by our affiliated Neighbourhood Associations, who make
independent decisions about what programs to offer and the time they are offered. In
consideration of snow day programming at Community Resource Centres, staff looked at two
options including snow day programming being provided by: i) the Neighbourhood Association,
and ii) City of Kitchener.
I) The Neighbourhood Association
Neighbourhood associations are made up of volunteers that often have a job and family
obligations, in addition to their volunteer duties. If asked to provide snow day programming to
the community, they would be faced with the following challenges:
Report No. CSD-08-005
Page 4
1. They would not have the time needed to pre-register, plan and staff a program on such
short notice,
· Neighbourhood Associations spend a significant amount of time and advanced
planning each session on finding the appropriate space and instructors for their
programs. They are not equipped to respond in the timeframe necessary to
develop and implement a snow day program. Planning, supervising and staffing
a program on short notice would be difficult.
2. The volunteers most often have to look after their own children when schools are closed,
· The Neighbourhood Association volunteers have job, family and other daytime
obligations that most often take precedent over programming for the community.
3. Existing Neighbourhood Association programs would have to be displaced and
participants would have to be refunded or programs extended,
· Currently there are very few facilities where there is enough program space
available to offer an all day program for children on snow days.
· If facilities are opened there would be an expectation from participants that their
programs will not be cancelled.
These challenges would make it very difficult for Neighbourhood Associations to provide snow
day activities in the event that children are home from school and facilities are opened. As
such, staff is suggesting that it is not realistic to expect Neighbourhood Associations to take this
type of programming on at this time.
II) The City of Kitchener
Similar to Neighbourhood Associations, if City of Kitchener staff were to contemplate providing
snow day programming at Community Resource Centres and Pools, staff would have to
consider the ramifications of displacing current programs using facility space during the day. At
the time this report was written, there currently are no Community Resource Centres, with the
exception of the Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre, where a full day direct program could
be offered without requesting that an existing program be cancelled. In the case of Community
Resource Centres, significant discussions would have to take place with our partnering
Neighbourhood Associations before cancelling programs could be considered.
The following are other challenges that staff would have to work through when considering this
type of programming:
1. Staff availability
The following staff work within our pools and community resource centres and were
looked at in terms of appropriateness and availability:
· Community Resource Centre Office staff. Their current duties within the facility
would not make them available to provide programming services. Their job
classification does not include this type of work, nor are staff trained for it.
· Community Program and Services summer program staff. The majority is away
at university or college during the winter season. Summer staff contracts are
terminated at the end of their work period. Those staff that are in high school
may not be able to work due to transportation restrictions on a snow days.
Report No. CSD-08-005
Page 5
There would be a cost associated with staff being kept on a retainer to support
snow days.
· Full-time Resource Centre Coordinators (RCC's). RCC's are located at the
Doon Pioneer Park, Centreville Chicopee, and Chandler Mowat community
centres. Resource Centre Coordinator job descriptions do allow for staff to
implement programs, however, there is no space to offer snow day programming
at CCCC and CMCC. DPPCC currently has the space to offer a snow day
program.
· Program Coordinator. A Program Coordinator would be able to plan and
implement a snow-day program as part of their job requirements. Currently,
there is a full-time program coordinator working at the Downtown Community
Centre, Rockway Senior Centre and at Breithaupt Centre. The first portion of a
program coordinator's day, when weather is poor, is to coordinate program
cancellations where required and contact existing program attendees about
cancellations. In order to maintain current customer service levels, program
coordinators would need extra office support on snow days. Due to privacy
legislation, program attendance lists must only be kept in secured areas and only
accessed by city staff. This means that many instructors are not able to make
calls themselves from home to help with program cancellations.
· Aquatic Lifeguard staff may be available to help coordinate a snow day program
pending availability and access to transportation.
2. Inclusion services
The Ontario Disability Act legislation requires that the City of Kitchener be prepared to
provide inclusion services to support behaviours or children with special needs.
Currently there is no capacity to provide service with little notice. The cost to do so
would be significant as trained staff would be required to be hired on a retainer basis. It
may not be possible to find qualified trained staff that would be available and willing to
work with little notice between December and March throughout the work week.
3. Child Care
Currently, Community Services does not provide full-day child care for the community.
There are a number of gaps that will need to be addressed before staff would be able to
ensure a safe, inclusive environment for children with little notice. Presently, some
School Board "Professional Development" day programs are offered at aquatic facilities
but these programs are offered with sufficient planning time and pre-registration.
4. Risk Management and Safety
Operations may not be able to ensure that snow clearing is available to all facilities
offering snow day programs. Current resources are often very stretched during winter
weather and this added requirement to ensure access may result in other high priority
areas being left for a longer periods of time.
5. Customer Service
Depending on community response and facility space, there may be more demand for
snow day programming than resources of staffing and space can support. It will be
difficult on the morning of a snow day to limit access to first come first served when
some patrons arrive at the facility and programs are full.
Report No. CSD-08-005
Page 6
6. Cost
Offering a snow day program will increase service to the community which comes at a
cost. Training staff for potential snow days, keeping supplies and registrations in
reserve, hiring Inclusion facilitation staff, ensuring access to facilities, and ensuring staff
transportation all come at a significant cost. It may not be reasonable to pass these
costs on to participants and maintain universal access.
Although significant space, staffing and coordination challenges exist in the provision of snow
day programming in most of our Community Resource Centres, there may opportunity to
investigate this option further at the Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre since there is
currently space available. It should be noted however that the number of residents that could
take advantage of this program will be limited due to the space restrictions of the Community
Centre. In addition to this, Aquatic facilities may be able to offer snow day programs for school-
aged children and can make the necessary arrangements based on the following guidelines:
1. Staff maintains proper ratios,
2. Pre-registration is completed for parents/ caregivers who would be interested in having
their children potentially attend a snow day program,
3. The cost of the program cover all costs (staffing, program - supplies, administration),
4. Start of program allows a two-hour window to set up the course on a snow day. Staff
will need time to prepare.
Depending on the day of the week, aquatics facilities may be able to offer 2 public swim options
out of the 4 facilities. With a 2-hour notification window, Aquatic staff feel that they could offer a
morning or afternoon public swim on a snow day.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
None at this time. Should council direct staff to explore options further, a subsequent report will
be completed, outlining the full extent of financial and resource implications associated with
offering snow days at the Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre and Aquatic facilities
considering the challenges and requirements outlined in the report.
CONCLUSION:
Staff are suggesting that when a severe winter weather event is experienced in the city, and
staff determine that facilities should be closed, no snow day programming be considered.
In the instance when schools are closed, and City of Kitchener facilities remain open, there are
a number of challenges associated with offering snow day programs at city facilities that have to
be managed, first and foremost the availability of space.
There may be opportunity to offer public swims and limited snow day options at some facilities
with pre-registration in advance of actual snow days. Before this is implemented however, staff
would have to ensure that the challenges outlined in this report are managed satisfactorily.
Mark Hildebrand
Interim Director of Community Programs and Services
