Fees at Dowling Leisure Centre waived one day a week

A membership or coupon is not necessary, but residents should see the front desk receptionist to sign in. Call the city's main number at 311 for more information.

The promotion is aimed at increasing usage rates at the Dowling centre, which currently ranks the lowest among the five city-owned leisure centres -- the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre in Valley East, the Rayside Balfour Workout Centre, the Falconbridge Recreation Centre and the Capreol Millennium Centre. Collectively, the centres cost taxpayers more than $350,000 in subsidizes in 2013.

City council approved a new fee structure this year to reduce the subsidy by about $53,500. Public meetings are being held at the Valley East and Dowling centres next week to get public input on the fee increases.

Some Valley East residents are particularly upset, since memberships already cover 93 per cent of the cost of running the facility, compared with just 19 per cent in Dowling.

The meetings will be held in Dowling on Monday at 7 p.m. A meeting at the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre goes Tuesday, also at 7 p.m. At both meetings, residents and fitness centre members can get information about the fees and changes to membership structures. Input will also be sought regarding suggestions for implementation of the changes, a release from the city said.