This week, the city of Langford decided to take the plunge on the purchase of land where the YW-YMCA currently operates a pool and recreation centre. Mayor Scott Goodmanson was on CFAX 1070 today to share why he supports the decision.
News anchor Steve Young, in for Al Ferraby this morning, asked the mayor why Langford didn’t hold a referendum before deciding to purchase the site. Goodmanson said this is a time-sensitive purchase, and the city was aware of other parties looking at the facility.
To finance the purchase, Goodmanson said the city has one five-year $20 million loan. He said this comes alongside a 1.75 per cent tax increase, but Goodmanson also said those funds were already allocated to asset management part of the approved financial plan.
Goodmanson said this purchase includes more than just the pool, but a larger building including a variety of community amenities. He noted a daycare and a branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library operates on the same site.
Goodmanson also gave some background on council's decision. He described the previous status-quo agreement between the city, the YMCA, and land owner, Westhills Land Corp. The company built the whole facility, including the pool and infrastructure for those other community services. Goodmanson suggested the company took on the mortgage to make this possible, but ultimately the city was to backstop financial risk that arose.
“Part of the deal was, because Westhills was printing the money, and they don’t really want to be in the recreation service, any money not able to be paid by the YW-YMCA, must be paid by the city of Langford,” he said, noting the city has helped with funding since the beginning.
“In fairness to the Y, they basically gave $10 million to the residents of Langford and the West Shore of services. They lost $10 million from the pandemic, and recovering from it. All pools lose money to some degree, but that was no longer sustainable for them.”