Click here to edit title

      Latest article from the Indy News!    April 2019

NEW VENUE NEWS

Ridgetown Seniors Implement a Technology Approach to Facilitate

Member Access Into The Centre

By Bob Dye and Sharon Alliet

Members of The Ridgetown and Area Adult Activity Centre (The Centre) are currently testing a Coded Card System to control access into The Centre and facilitate Member Registration in and Payment for Participation in Activities, Programs and Services facilitated by The Centre. The Centre plans to have the new Access Card System operational April 1, 2019.

All Centre Members will be provided with a Member Card that facilitates access to The Centre and access to the system data base to confirm:

• Member Contact Information
• Member Access Fee Status
• Program Participation Status

Gone will be the sign-in book and the tooney basket, to be replaced by a card reader and computer.

Gone also will be the Annual Member Dues ($40 in 2017 and $35 in 2018). Replacing Member Dues will be an Annual Member Access Fee ($20 in 2019-20).

Some of the key features of the Card System are:

• Members of Other Centres who hold a paid membership in another Chatham-Kent Adult Activity Centre that has a partnership agreement with The Ridgetown and Area Adult Activity Centre who wish to access The Centre to participate in Multi-Centre joint programs will be able to pay an Associate Member Access Fee ($10 in 2019-20) They will be required to pay the program participation fee each time they participate in a Centre program.
• Prospective Members interested in seeing what the Centre has to offer will not be required to pay an access fee. They will be provided with a clip-on visitor identification badge while touring the Centre.
• Access to a Future Café

If in the future the Centre develops a new Centre which includes a Café, all Participating Members, Non-Participating Members, Prospective Members, Visitors and Walk-ins will have access to the services and products of a Café at posted prices.

• The System has the ability to handle an unlimited number of active and inactive programs that are divided into the five categories we are currently using.
• The System can also track:

• Attendance at Meetings
• Volunteer hours
• Routine Inspections by Fire, Insurance, and others.

• The System has the ability to show if the person is eligible to participate in activities, programs, and services they have registered for.
• The System has the ability to show if the person has paid to participate in a program and the expiry date of the payment.

To bring some formality and control to the new approach to access The Centre, The Centre’s Board appointed its Financial Management Committee to oversee implementation. Similarly, The Financial Management Committee was given responsibility to oversee the pricing of all activities, programs and services.

To ensure coherence and consistency in establishing participation prices The Committee was guided by the following principles:

• Member Ability And Willingness To Pay.
• Fairness, Equity And Flexibility.
• Overall Pricing To Recognize Operating Costs Are Likely To Be Higher In A New Centre.
• Direct Cost Recovery.
• Contribution To Operation Overhead.
• Select Programs May Be Subsidized For Regular Members. (Maximum Subsidy Will Be Total Overhead Contribution.)
• Non-Members Will Pay A Premium For Accessing Select Programs.

All participation fees are paid in advance, and to keep the amount of cash handling by the greeter to a minimum, members are encouraged to take advantage of the following block pricing:

Cost

10 participations $ 25.00

20 participations $ 50.00

50 participations $125.00

Unlimited (for the fiscal year) $250.00

Member Use of Centre

Must be a Member in good standing.

Details on the Activities & Events page.

Contact the Center @ 519.674.5126