Langley Township will now give local residents priority when registering for swimming lessons.
At it’s Monday, May 27 meeting, council unanimously approved a new policy to give Township families a seven-day window to sign up for swim classes at civic pools before registration opens to families from other communities.
According to a Township staff report, last year there were 17,149 swim lesson spaces provided at the Aldergrove Community Centre, the W.C. Blair Recreation Centre, and the Walnut Grove Community Centre.
Of those, 12,951 spaces went to Township families, and 4,198, or 24 per cent, went to residents from outside of the Township.
Most of those families came from Abbotsford, Surrey, Maple Ridge, and Langley City.
Half a dozen other nearby municipalities have already implemented similar swim-lesson registration rules favouring their own residents, including Burnaby, Delta, and New Westminster.
None of Langley Township’s nearest neighbours – Abbotsford, Langley City, Maple Ridge, or Surrey – have created a priority access system so far.
Implementing the system will cost about $60,000 for additional staff resources.
It’s unclear how many people from outside of the Township will be able to register after the seven-day window.
The staff report notes that the highest demand is for beginner swim lessons. After that, demand begins to decline. About 94 per cent of all swim-class spaces were filled last year.
The Township plans to build its fourth major municipal pool in Willoughby, in the 20700 block of 80th Avenue, in the near future.
Consultations with the public on the community centre for that site recently began with an open house.
Author: Matthew Claxton
