Orleans Weekly Journal
Published: Friday, January 25, 2008 Ray Friel not poster child of doomed P3 The Ray Friel Centre has reverted to City of Ottawa management as of Jan. 1, in case you hadn’t heard. Critics of P3s (public-private partnerships) have predictably concluded that private industry can’t deliver public services as a result of Serco’s (the private provider) exit from its contract with the City. I beg to differ. By way of disclosure, I worked for Serco Facilities Management from 1993 to 1997 and was involved in several site audits when Serco originally acquired the Ray Friel contact (along with other recreation centres in Ontario and Saskatchewan) from court appointed creditors who were winding up the affairs of bankrupt Recreation Services International (RSI). Ray Friel was certainly the jewel of the centres being brought into the Serco fold and the only one in a major metropolitan centre. Serco’s failure at Ray Friel is self-evident, but it should not be used as the poster child for a blanket condemnation of P3s in the recreation service domain. The ideology of P3s did not fail at Ray Friel, rather it was a succession of business mistakes. To start, revenues from programming and non-traditional sources (think sponsorships, merchandising, etc.) were not based in reality. To compound matters, a lack of management continuity was a big problem. Finally, this service-based business never really engaged with its customers (hockey leagues, parents, swimmers and fitness enthusiasts). However, it is also fair to say that without the P3 between Serco and the City the expansion of the facility would have never happened or would still be in the works. Imagine Ray Friel as it was; a dingy single ice-pad with a small gym and inadequate meeting and programming space... ah, no thank you! To be fair to the new GM, city veteran Pierre Blais, this fitness buff has noticed some improvements. A long overdue pressure wash of the shower floor was occurring last week and other locker room changes are evident. As for other improvements, getting a viable franchise in to run the snack stand and restaurant is a must. New high-powered hair and hand dryers would be nice. And some modern antibacterial cleaning solutions/cloths for the cardio deck and weight room are no-brainers. New uniforms for staff with city logos would reinforce the “new” city management and be a nice touch for staff who fretted over their jobs for months. As for the dated equipment in the weight room, well, enough said. Even minor changes upstairs near the cardio deck like new core training exercise routines posted on the walls could supplant the ’80s era stretch posters. An aggressive marketing campaign for folks to use the facility for meetings and make it a family experience with swimming, skating, a workout and/or a quick library visit would all help. The best community centres are the ones that the majority of the community uses, not the minority. Finally, surveying your customers online, via touch response kiosk or good old-fashioned talking to us is essential. Over to you Monsieur Blais, et bonne chance.
= = = = = Comments for Walter Robinson can be sent to orleansouttakes@transcontinental.ca. |