The Parksville Visitor Centre will reduce its hours to 24 per week, with some flexibility to provide service on the weekends.
Parksville council voted to renew the city's fee for service agreement with the Parksville and District Chamber of Commerce, which operates the visitor centre.
The agreement will see the city slightly increase the fee for service by 2.4 per cent to $57,713, based on the BC Consumer Price Index change between October 2023 and October 2024, according to a report by Amanda Weeks, the city's manager of administrative services.
In November, council declined the chamber's request for an additional $40,000 in annual funding.
At the time, President of the board of directors Meghan Walker told council the chamber is operating at a deficit of approximately $20,000 a year.
The chamber provided the city with a proposal that provides flexibility, in that it allows for adjustments in hours to be made based on seasonal demand. This will guarantee a minimum of 1,248 hours over the course of a year, according to Weeks' report.
From January up to May 15, the visitor centre will be open three days a week, with one weekend shift encouraged.
Starting May 16 and ending Sept. 4, the centre will be open five days a week for at least four hours a day and including at least one weekend shift.
The visitor centre will shift back to three days a week again starting Sept. 5.
