Fernie city council has adopted a new five-year joint use agreement with School District 5 (SD5) which will allow the use of each other’s facilities.
“This joint use agreement ensures efficient use of municipal and school facilities benefiting students and user groups,” said parks, facilities and recreation director Brett Logan.
“It will improve our booking services and overall user experience from the city’s end.”
The previous joint use agreement expired in 2022, but both sides agreed to uphold it in good faith until a new agreement could be drafted.
Logan said the agreement sets clear expectations for both parties on the use, scheduling, and maintenance of the facilities included.
SD5 students routinely use the Aquatic Center facility for swimming and the Memorial Arena rink time for skating, while the city will sometimes use the gym or fields.
Mayor Nic Milligan said their use will likely be higher this year with the closure of the community centre.
“That’s why we have a joint use agreement. It’s one of the trade-offs of allowing the school to use city facilities for essentially nothing,” he said.
“This is the trade-off and now it’s our turn to reap the benefits.”
The facilities included in the agreement are the Fernie Secondary School gymnasium and field and track area, Isabella Dicken Elementary gymnasium, Memorial Arena, aquatic centre, outdoor rink and local parks, courts and sports fields.
The full agreement can be found below.
MORE: Fernie and School District #5 Joint Use Agreement (City of Fernie)
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