Oceanside Integrated Fitness Society has requested the Qualicum School District waive the rent on a room in the Qualicum Commons so it can continue with an initiative that provides community access to adaptive exercise equipment.
Chair Linda Feil said the society incorporated earlier this year to create and operate an adapted and sustainable accessible fitness centre, in particular, for people with disabilities.
Following on the success of the BrainBodyFitness pilot project last year, the Board of Education decided in December to allow an extension of six months of rent-free use of room 12 in the commons to Qualicum Community Education and Wellness Society (QCEWS).
Feil appeared as a delegation at the May 28 board meeting of Qualicum School District, which owns the Qualicum Commons.
"With the lease currently with QCEWS about to expire, we are here to ask you to join us in this project as our partner," she said.
The society is currently working on gaining charitable status, Feil said, which will allow for a fundraising campaign to pay for operating costs.
"The most important issue to acknowledge, is that there is a very functional adapted fitness facility in Oceanside through a lot of commitment and generosity of a number of people and agencies, not least of all the school district," Feil said. "It would be tragic to let it die for a few hundred dollars. It is a wonderful community asset that should be nurtured."
In lieu of rent, Feil said the society would provide access to the school district to use the adapted fitness facility during a mutually agreed schedule. At the end of the proposed one-year term, the society and the school district could reassess the arrangement and decide to extend it or end it, she added.
The board indicated it would include the item on the agenda for its next meeting.
Later in the meeting the board voted to publicly give notice that it is considering the closure of both Qualicum Commons and Craig Street Commons to public and business use to be effective July 1, 2025.
Between the two buildings, there are capital costs in the millions that now need to be addressed, such as new roofing, HVAC units, electrical systems and boilers, according to Ron Amos, secretary-treasurer for the school district.
The final decision will be debated at the June 25 board meeting.
