BOROUGH OF POOLE
ROSSMORE COMMUNITY USE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
17 NOVEMBER 2008
The Meeting commenced at 4:15pm and concluded at 5:50pm
Present:
Councillor Representatives:
Councillor Wilson – Elected Member (Chairman for this Meeting)
Councillor Mrs Lavender
User Group Representatives
Michael Gregory – Gymnastics and Trampolining Club
Deborah Wheatley – Poole Swimming Club
Also in Attendance
Richard Poole – Assistant Headteacher, Rossmore Community College/Director of Sport (Sub Sally Apps, Headteacher, Rossmore Community College)
Sean Gabriel – General Manager of Rossmore Leisure Centre
Anthony Rogers – Recreation Manager, Leisure Services, Borough of Poole (BoP) (Sub Clive Smith, Head of Leisure Services (BoP))
Gemma Wilton – Project Officer, Leisure Services (BoP)
Michelle Coplestone – Legal and Democratic Services (BoP)
Members of the public present: 0
CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS
Members were advised that the Meeting was not quorate and noted that any decisions would need to be affirmed at the next quorate meeting of the Rossmore Community Use Management Committee (RCUMC). Members agreed that Councillor Wilson should take the Chair for this Meeting.
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Trent.
2. MINUTES
RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting held on 22 September 2008, having been previously circulated, be taken as read and confirmed as a correct record subject to the following amendments:
M.7 Rossmore Leisure Centre Manager’s Report
Delete ‘Claire Leaper’ and insert ‘Chloe Leaper’.
M.8 Update on Leisure Centre’s Partnership
Delete “Sean Gabriel reported that all Leisure Services referrals would be managed by the Centre from next year ….” and insert “Sean Gabriel advised that discussions had taken place with regard to the Centre managing all Leisure Centre referrals with effect from next year, however, the idea was still being explored”.
The Minutes would be signed at the next quorate Meeting of the Committee.
3. USER REPRESENTATIVE ITEMS
Michael Gregory, Silver Swimmers Representative, advised that Leisure Centre Users at Rossmore were happy with the limit of 80 persons in the Swimming Pool at any one time. He reported that the machinery in the Swimming Pool Gymnasium now functioned and Users were pleased with the new locker system as it eliminated the need for queuing. The Leisure Centre Manager anticipated that the remaining wet-side changing rooms would be refurbished before Christmas.
Councillor Wilson highlighted that the Old Age Pensioner Group required a new venue to meet on Fridays, however, amicable arrangements were in place for the Group to use the Bourne Valley Youth Club on a temporary basis. Anthony Rogers, Recreation Manager, Leisure Services (Borough of Poole) advised that he would write to the Group to explain why they were unable to use the facilities on Site.
RESOLVED that the update be noted by the Committee.
4. GOVERNING BODY/HEADTEACHER’S ITEMS
The Assistant Headteacher of Rossmore Community College advised that the Expression of Interest, with regard to the College becoming an Academy, had been approved at Government level and a feasibility study was due to be undertaken. It was noted that Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Strategy for Change: 2 had now been completed.
The Committee was advised that the School and Leisure Centre were now working in a safer and more practical way following improvements to the changing room facilities, however, there were still some acts of vandalism.
The Leisure Centre Manager and Assistant Headteacher would be meeting with colleagues from both the Leisure Centre and School, which was a positive step towards improve communications between Sports and Leisure Management Limited (SLM) and the School.
Councillor Wilson advised that there would be opportunities for the School to improve its way of working when it became an Academy and underwent changes in relation to Building Schools for the Future. It was noted that residents and the community would like early involvement in discussions regarding the layout of the School. The School Campus needed to be effective for both the School and SLM and it was hoped that consideration would be given to the School having its own Sports Hall and changing facilities.
The Leisure Centre Manager questioned whether the Leisure Centre could use the School’s old storerooms and Café when the School moved to its new Campus? The Assistant Headteacher advised that the School was waiting to hear whether it would qualify for a full rebuild or a part refurbishment under the BSF programme. Councillor Wilson explained that it was difficult for staff to control students within the School’s current layout and that entering and exiting the Site was a huge problem. It was recommended that the Site might benefit from a roundabout in front of the main entrance or a second entrance to the rear of the Site to help dispel traffic problems.
RESOLVED that the update be noted by the Committee.
5. COUNCILLOR ITEMS
Councillor Mrs Lavender advised that she had recently attended a Meeting of the Sports and Leisure Limited (SLM) Contract Review Working Party and thanked Sean Gabriel, Leisure Centre Manager, in working hard to improve the Leisure Centre. Councillor Wilson was also praised for speaking on behalf of the Rossmore Community Management Committee and raising concerns in relation to lack of Committee attendance.
RESOLVED that the Update be noted.
6. ROSSMORE LEISURE CENTRE MANAGER’S REPORT
Sean Gabriel, Leisure Centre Manager, circulated a copy of the Leisure Centre Manager’s Report. Key points were summarised as follows:-
Performance Monitoring – Attendance
· Attendance figures were sill being recorded in the old format; however, a new reporting system to monitor performance would be in place for next year.
· There had been a steady increase in adult Leisure Centre Usage due to a number of additional exercise classes being offered.
OLGA Trampolining and Gymnastics Centre
· The Leisure Centre would be holding Christmas Gala Evenings on 13 and 14 December 2008.
· The Leisure Centre had recently hosted a Gymnastics and Movement for People with a Disability (GMPD) event, which saw 320 Children and Young People participate in Trampolining and Gymnastics. The Dorset School Tumbling event would be held over the weekend of 21 December 2008.
· It was anticipated that coaches at the Leisure Centre would receive additional support following the reorganisation of the Team to include a Director of Trampolining and a Director of Gymnastics.
· An ‘OLGA Everyone Active’ website was in the process of being developed.
Health and Fitness
· On-site vandalism had reduced.
· The remaining lockers in the wet-side area needed to be refurbished. The dry-side changing rooms would be brought up to standard before Christmas.
· A report had been received by the Carbon Trust, which had shown the Site at Rossmore to be reasonably cost efficient, however, the Leisure Centre Manager would liaise with Housekeeping to ensure energy savings were carried out, i.e., turning off lights.
· Gym Class occupancy at Rossmore Leisure Centre was 78.9%, which was the second highest occupancy in the company.
· The Leisure Centre now operated a total of 43 classes per week.
· The Leisure Centre was developing a partnership arrangement with the School East Partnership, which would supply a Fitness Motivator to the Sure Start Centre to develop fitness activities for young mothers.
Everyone Active Swimming Lessons
· A total of 626 pupils were enrolled in the swimming lesson scheme, which had been rebranded from ‘Splash School’ to ‘Everyone Active’.
· All branding now corresponded with the Amateur Swimming Association’s national plan for teaching swimming, which was re-launched over the same timeframe.
· A Partnership agreement had been reached with Poole East Schools, which would allow for the provision of 54 places on ‘Everyone Active’ for elite swimmers and new mother and baby sessions.
· A Christmas Party was being arranged for children in the ‘Everyone Active’ Scheme, which would include fun swimming sessions, a bouncy castle, face painting and soft play.
Dry-Side Activities
· New activities at the Leisure Centre were becoming increasingly popular, in particular, Cheerleading, Freestyle Disco, Urban Funk, Basket Ball and Futsual Soccer.
· It was anticipated that the Climbing Wall would be launched early next year, once procedural issues had been investigated.
· Over 30 children had been attending Sunday ‘Freestyle Running’ sessions and a Kid Active Session had been introduced for 11-15 year olds.
Club Use
· The Sports Hall had reached 100% capacity during weekday evenings for block bookings and 25% during the weekends.
· There had been an increase in usage of the Multi Use Games Area for Football and Netball sessions.
Everyone Active
· Rossmore Leisure Centre had a total of 692 members and had now launched an ‘Everyone Active Young Persons’ membership for Children and Young People aged between 11-15 years of age.
· The Leisure Centre had recently held an open weekend, which saw 450 people attend and participate in various activities. The Mayor of Poole was also present to open the new Dance Studio.
In response to a question, the Leisure Centre Manager advised that an ‘Everyone Active’ card was required to book classes and that every member would receive a card once the administration system was upgraded.
7. UPDATE ON LEISURE CENTRE PARTNERSHIPS
The Committee received a verbal update regarding the Leisure Centre Partnership from Anthony Rogers, Recreation Manager, Leisure Services, Borough of Poole.
Key points were summarised as follows:-
· Everything was working well across the Contract and the six monthly figures were up to 450,000 visits across all three Leisure Centres. The figures were above target and it was hoped that this could be maintained for the rest of the year.
· The Contract was financially stable as Sports and Leisure Management Limited (SLM) were managing costs effectively.
· The Dolphin Leisure Centre had 2000 members and was reaching capacity.
· The sand filtration tanks serving the Dolphin Swimming Poole were being replaced at a cost of £45K and it was anticipated that this would achieve a better standard of water in all three pools. The work would be phased in prior to Christmas and early January 2009 and meant that the Diving Pool would be closed for approximately one week.
· The Changing Village at the Dolphin Centre would be repainted over the Christmas period.
· The Dolphin Swimming Pool would become Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) accredited. It would not be cost effective to IFI credit Rossmore Leisure Centre, however, both Rossmore and Ashdown Leisure Centres would take on the IFI ethos.
· The OLGA outreach project at Ashdown Leisure Centre had filled to capacity and the new studio at Ashdown had proved to be a good investment due to demand for its use.
· There had been high demand for an improved range of facilities at Ashdown Leisure Centre from the School and the community. Communications between SLM, the School and the Council were ongoing with regard to this.
· ‘Goals’, a new generation of all-weather floodlit 5-a-side Centres throughout the UK, had shown an interest in Ashdown Leisure Centre and a site in Bournemouth. It was highlighted that any designs would need to be considered in line with Building Schools for the Future. Rossmore Leisure Centre had not been shown to ‘Goals’ as it was deemed unsuitable due to parking pressures and site accessibility.
· Building Schools for the Future (BSF) would have a huge impact on SLM, however, any expansion of facilities at Rossmore would be positive. Leisure Services was representing the community to ensure that facilities could be used by everyone.
· It had not yet been determined as to who was responsible for vandalism costs at the Rossmore Site. Legal Services at the Borough of Poole had written to SLM’s Legal Team but a response was still outstanding.
· Poole Swimming Club had submitted an outline proposal for a ‘boom’ at the Dolphin Swimming Pool in order to hold galas and train more efficiently. At present, SLM roped off 25 metres of the 33 metre long pool to use as a training lane. A static ‘boom’ would cost approximately £70K and a movable ‘boom would cost £90K.
8. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
The Chairman recommended changing the date of the next Committee Meeting to Wednesday 21 January 2009 as the Committee agreed that moving the Meeting from a Monday afternoon might increase attendance. It was also recommended that the SLM Contract Review Working Party review the Constitution and frequency of Committee Meetings in order to encourage attendance.
RESOLVED that the next Meeting of the Rossmore Community Use Management Committee take place on Wednesday 21 January 2008 at 4:00pm at Rossmore Community College, Herbert Avenue, Parkstone, Poole.
Post Meeting Note
The SLM Contract Working Party was unable to inspect the Constitution and frequency of meetings for the Rossmore Community Use Management Committee (RCUMC) as it did not fall under the Working Party’s Terms of Reference. The RCUMC would need to explore its own Constitution at the next quorate meeting and seek approval from Cabinet if it wished to change its structure or membership.
CHAIRMAN
7