West Shore Parks and Rec is responding to the backlash received over the perceived sudden closure of the curling rink at the Juan de Fuca Rec Centre.
The board says the rink is only used about 20 percent of the time, and it subsidizes $11.24 or each person who uses the facility, compared to the $4.26 subsidy per usage for the arena and the $2.07 for the pool.
Project Manager Jonathan Huggett, says the Board of Directors made their decision in order to save some money.
"There's a fixed amount of money available for recreation, and the Board didn't think this represented good value for money over some alternate use."
Huggett says the Board hasn't decided what that alternate use would be, but a few ideas are being considered.
"For example, if you left the ice in, you could use it for two-on-two or three-on-three for the kids hockey. But also there's a huge demand for good dry space right now, and so another option is to simply say we'll go to dry space for things like pickle ball and aerobics"
He adds that the lounge area, which is unused most of the time, could be converted into a child care space.
The curlers have been notified that the rink will be closing, and the president of the Juan de Fuca Curling Centre Association is very upset about the news.
Pei Mei Chia says the 540 members who curl at the Juan de Fuca Rec are like a family
"I think in any sports, especially in curling for me, it's also a very social time. After every game you go up and, guess what, you socialize with the team you just played against. You can't get any more social than that. And at the same time, every league is like a family within the big family."
She says there were no consultations arranged with the Association or the 540 members, and they are trying to meet with the Board of Directors to discuss the future of the rink.
Huggett says although it will be inconvenient for those who currently use the rink, it will end up benefiting the other rinks in the CRD, which may be losing money due to issues with unused ice time similar to the Juan de Fuca Rec's rinks.