Sylvie Allen is the founder and coach at Sweet Skills, a women’s mountain biking outfit based in Pemberton. But after 10 years in operation, Allen is raising the alarm about the Village’s park booking fee structure—namely, a $1,000 deposit fee and $75 non-refundable permit fee.
“Given the relatively small scale and infrequency of my bookings, I am finding that the costs associated with these park reservations no longer make sense for my business, especially as I am trying to keep my pricing affordable for locals,” Allen wrote in a letter to council.
Sweet Skills uses the Den Duyf Bike Skills Park, which opened to much acclaim in 2022.
As per a 2023 bylaw, booking a park or public space for a commercial/corporate event (which Sweet Skills is classified as), requires a six-month permit fee of $75, an hourly rental fee of $25.45/hour for adults, and a refundable security deposit of $1,000.
"The $75 permit fee covers administrative costs associated with reviewing applications and issuing permits," according to a spokesperson for the Village of Pemberton. "The fee also supports and offsets the cost of operations and maintenance for our public spaces."
According to the bylaw, the security deposit can take up to a month to return to renters.
Allen’s classes are aimed at adults and run between once and three times a year, between one and three hours each time. That means a single session can cost up to $1,151.35.
Allen’s letter compared the cost to Whistler’s booking; No permit or deposit fee, and a lower hourly rental fee ($21.35 compared to Pemberton’s $25.45). The same event, held in Whistler, would cost her $64.05
And while she prefers Pemberton’s bike park to Whistler’s offering (partly because she’s a local), she wrote the “disproportionate” nature of the fee structure might prompt her to take her business elsewhere.
Council’s response
During the Jan. 21 Council meeting, officials seemed amenable to re-evaluating the park booking scheme.
“I think the letter [was] very informative, well laid out and just raises some concerns about how we’re supporting a small business owner,” said Councillor Katrina Nightingale, adding she was concerned about Allen having to take her business elsewhere.
“I’m wondering if there’s a way we can consider what she’s addressing, which is the fees, and specifically the huge $1,000 deposit fee for park bookings is significant."
Part of the problem, said Nightingale, is the funding structure for amenities like the bike park. Grants enable the village to build those services, but once construction is finished, there are often fewer avenues for grants to support services.
“Based on the letter, I think that there’s room for some [consideration] on how that structure is working right now with regards to that space,” said Pemberton chief administrative officer Elizabeth Tracy.
“Now would we as a village be able to go in the same direction that Whistler does in terms of providing the space for free? Perhaps not, because we do need that revenue to maintain the amenities that we have, but there may be adjustments that we may be able to make.”
Council motioned to have recreation staff look into booking fees and deposits.
