Concerned North Shore residents have started a petition to ‘Hold the City of North Vancouver Accountable’ for plans to close the Harry Jerome Recreation Centre in 2021.
“The City of North Vancouver reneged on their promise to keep Harry Jerome open while the new location is being built, prioritizing money over residents,” the petition notes.
The petition, started by Vivian Cheng, has more than 1,500 signatures so far.
CNV is building a new Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre in central Lonsdale, but closing the existing recreation centre.
The petition is also being championed by Betty Holmes, who has used the Harry Jerome Recreation Centre along with her family for 30 years.
Holmes said the decision to keep the centre closed for three years will overwhelm other recreation centres, and will disproportionally impact seniors and those with disabilities.
“We will see the impact to the entire community, and it is going to hurt our seniors and those who are disadvantaged. My 97-year-old friend walks to the Harry Jerome pool now,” she says.
She said the previous council had promised it will be kept open.
Holmes said she also found it concerning that the decision was made without adequate community engagement.
“We are very interested in protecting the mental, physical and social health of the community, and I hope CNV will change this decision,” she said.
Mike Dowling, a member of the North Shore Aquatics Society, said he was deeply disappointed with CNV’s decision to close the Harry Jerome Recreation Centre while the new centre was being built.
It was done quietly without any public discussion and blind-sided all Harry Jerome user groups and users, he said.
“The full closure of Harry Jerome will have broader impacts on fitness, mental health, employment, and traffic across the entire North Shore, Burnaby and Vancouver. Not to mention, the impact on the ‘Healthiest City in the World’ vision,” he said.
My wife and I had been using the gym, to keep fit, ever since we both retired at 65 . We are now 83 !! Up until covid it was a trice a week reason to cycle and treadmill for an hour,after – a coffee and chat with the nice folks running the shop. I am positive it was a major contributor to us still being in good nick- putting the advancing aches and pains aside !! Keep the facility open until it’s replacement is ready to go!! Yes I know we are over the border in the near district ! Do seniors a big favour!
Agree with you Barry and Pat! We too have been using our Rec facilities, keeping our aging bodies in shape; as have our grandchildren
( who incidentally already have to wait in longer and longer queues for classes- and that’s with HJ still being open!)
Would you close a hospital while you build another? Rec centres are essential for public health.
Council is supposed to exist to protect the interests of taxpayers and residents, not to act as an extension of developers and planning staff and their mindset.
When are the Citizens of the City Of North Vancouver realize that this council and especially the Mayor has to go!! Voting starts in” October 2022 Write Down That Date”: Theirs a lot more to come. The last 3 years have been a disaster with so much development even a resent collapse and death of a worker on a building on esplanade, over 40 new projects already givin the green light in the city, There will never be any top athletes come to the North Vancouver city rec centre to train or compete because of the decisions of the present Council, The Citizens Association of North Vancouver city recommends to move to a more affordable town.
Agreed!!!
Lawn bowling with 100 plus years – removed, shoved aside and relocated so that the planning department and the developer can have their way. O.C.P. trashed and distorted to allow hi-rises up Lonsdale including the 30 story towers to be built on OUR parks and rec land. An estimated 1500 – 2000 people to be added to 23rd and Lonsdale – that’s 3 – 4% population growth in one shot! A false sale of publicly owned land by means of a 99 year lease with all monies paid up front – done purely to avoid scrutiny and provincial legislation. A ‘Harry Jerome’ dedicated rec centre with no running track? Over fifty years of saving/setting funds aside (asset life-spanning) for a new rec centre – where did the money go?…….Just some of the questions that I have…..The whole thing needs to be stopped dead in it’s tracks (and this could be done, the Province could step in),………This is North Van City’s ‘Little Mountain’ fiasco, with a developer making millions while livabilty is destroyed – shame on you City!
Indeed! Too much development and not near enough consideration given regarding the building of appropriate infrastructure, including Rec centre facilities.
It is a travesty that this Council really believes that a very well used Rec centre can be removed without concern as to the consequences to their citizens!
Surely, if 99 year “loans” are possible then our municipal government could seek provincial and/or federal loans to build a new Rec centre while keeping the original building open.
Certainly, there is a golden opportunity in this City of ours (that has the available land right across the street!) to build while keeping HJ open!
Mickey McDougal park along with Norseman field were slated for residential development 40 years ago when NVSS was closed and mostly torn down. Local neighbourhood residents stepped up to keep public assets as public assets and prevented the loss of the gym, cafeteria, tennis courts, norsemanfield and mickey macdougal Park. Behind closed door deals were made by the previous council and took both parks away from the neighbourhood without any meaningful public consultation. Now macdougal park has been privatized, a park used mainly by children now privatized to be used by a private members only club of mainly seniors. All paid for by the tax payer. Soon this single family neighbourhood will be overshadowed by many high rises, including a 30 and 26 storey tower, neither of which were in any of the public consultation proposals. As a life long local area resident, im sick of the lies and back room deals being made by these out of control councils, especially when the costs are born by the tax payer. Time to move and find a town that isn’t corrupted by development
There has been no public input this decision to close the rec centre for 4 yrs was bone behind closed doors it is shameful what our council has done.
How do we sign up ? Buchanan AKA Mussatto 2:0 is a political sociopath so it’s going to require a lot of signatures and on site demonstrationS to move the goal post here !
http://change.org/keepharryjeromeooen
Please reach out to keepharryjeromeopen@gmail.com if you feel passionate and want to help. Thank you
https://change.org/keepharryjeromeopen
Once again, new Mayor/Council are able to overturn the voted upon and approved decision of a prior Council and then take it one step further – by quickly and quietly acting on a little know clause allowing for an early closure despite the promise to the community (of electors and taxpayers) that HJ would stay open in current form while new HJ is built on Norsman so as to minimize disruption to all user groups – never more important that in these times of Covid when community engagement and physical activity are MOST important. I’m glad I moved to CNV from DNV. Now I can vote against the Mayor and selected counsellors. When Griffin (now Delbrook) closed, at least there was some facility use at the old Delbrook centre. Closing HJ leaves nothing. Pools are all full now – losing one will be devastating. There just seems to be no real understanding of and compassion for people here.
get out and everyone you know and Vote Them OUT !!!! OCTOBER 2022
What a shame that our Mayor made this horrible decision. I have made many friends at Harry Jerome and exercised there 3times a week for years. Our Mayor is being very selfish and foolhardy.
Shame on you Mayor Buchanan.
We need all the pools we can have to avoid over congestion, especially in these trying times of Covid. It is as an essential health service. I went to Harry Jerome’s pool today; it was delightful and busy, it would be such as sad loss. I just searched for the petition to keep Harry Jerome open and change.org and could not find it. However, I hear there will be a rally in the park between Harry Jerome and Lonsdale this Saturday at 9:30am, which I hope many people attend.