The opening of the Old Barn Community Centre was celebrated by the first UNA Barn Raising in 2007 (a well enjoyed community event since replaced by UNA Days in Wesbrook Place). The Old Barn Community Centre, built on the site of the former UBC Horse Barn, was the UNA’s first in-community office (previously it was in the Cecil Green Coachhouse in North Campus). It was to be, and it became, a critical social gathering space and zone of activity for many in the UNA areas. As development shifted southward with the build out of Wesbrook Place and the building of another community centre the UNA moved their administrative offices into south campus. The UNA Board meetings were also shifted out of the Old Barn into a meeting space in Wesbrook Community Centre.
Today the Old Barn Community Centre is due a retrofit. On the agenda is a roof replacement, a new a.v system for the meeting rooms, a refreshing of the living room space, and a renovation of the fitness room.
[Disclosure: I am a Hawthorn Place resident and regular user of the Old Barn including patio, gardens, cafe, meeting rooms, and fitness room. I was also an elected Resident Director, 2012-2016.]
UNA’s Recreation and Culture Review
Leading up to making plans for a retrofit the UNA commissioned a review of recreational facilities and programs.
The recreation and culture survey was an open recruitment survey (see pages 59-90 of the May UNA Board meeting materials) commonly used by agencies for consulting purposes.
I asked UBC sociologist David Tindal about the methodology of open recruitment surveys in general (I did not ask him to comment on the UNA survey itself).
David said that “in general, there tends to be response biases in surveys that over represent people who feel strongly one way or another on whatever the issue in question is. … If a non-probability sampling method is used, then it will usually magnify this already existing tendency.”
I asked David what the utility of such a research device might be.
He said “it depends on the research design, the quality of the survey, the skills of the analyst, and the sincerity of the organization in charge of acting on the research outcome. … is the client entity is open to receiving the results regardless of their direction/nature, and potentially acting upon them and/or using them in good faith? Or is the client entity simply looking for validation for what they are doing already, or planning to do anyways?”
The survey was complemented by a series of targeted small group focus circles and pop up tables where passersby were asked their thoughts. The report itself highlights things that have been suggested many times in the past - consideration of seniors, programs for newcomers with ineffective english language skills, programs aimed at young families, concerns with pedestrian safety along 16th avenue, and complaints about lack of motor vehicle parking near community centres.
The Survey Results and Action Plan
The survey was answered by 173 people in the ’community’ category (out of a population of 12,517. See page 38), 36 UNA employees, 33 contractors/instructors, and 9 volunteers. It is conceivable that some respondents in the last three categories could have also completed the community survey as the first was a residential category and the last three occupational. The report is silent on this point. About 26 of the community respondents indicated they used the Old Barn Community Centre most (compared to Wesbrook Community Centre). About 38 community respondents reported living in Hawthorn Place, compared to about 83 who said Wesbrook Place.
The survey report provides descriptive analyses of specific questions grouped in thematic areas and evaluated according to category of respondent. It is not clear to the reader the connection between the data analysis and the resulting action plan.1
As a regular user of the Old Barn’s fitness room I would concur that a new carpet and a fresh coat of paint would be nice (in fact needed). Changing out some of the machines would be a good idea too. This is a relatively small room and it’s hard to imagine scheduled programs being run in the space that won’t disrupt regular users (the UNA has anticipated this problem and has targeted low use times for their classes). The action plan does not specify what the additional $25,000 per year increase in operating budget is for, perhaps for the proposed new programming (i.e. labour costs).
In response to a request for clarification of the Old Barn fitness room plans, the UNA recreation manager said in an email:
“Change is inevitable, and my goal, is to bring life back to the OBCC in general. To upgrade and provide residents of all neighbourhoods with a facility that provides them rooms that are welcoming and comfortable, and equipment that is safe, easy to use along with a knowledgeable and friendly staff.”
As a regular user of the Old Barn I was surprised to learn that the Old Barn was in need of having life brought back to it. On a recent afternoon walk through I found a half dozen young people sitting around the picnic table alongside of the UNA Children’s’ Garden. Cafe patrons were spilling out into the patio. A volunteer garden steward was tending to some plants. A handful of young children had found some fresh plums and apples and were sampling. Meanwhile an energetic game of mahjong was underway in the Living Room of the Old Barn. A young mother was reading from the community bookshelf to her children and a couple of teen-agers were sharing tidbits of something or other from their phones. In the Jim Taylor Park the children’s play area was alive with what looked like a daycare group and a handful of university students were sprawled out on a blanket. I didn’t go upstairs to see what might be happening in the upper level meeting rooms, but I did stick my head into the fitness room and saw a middle aged women running on the treadmill and a young man with a trainer lifting free weights. All in all the Old Barn seemed pretty alive.
In a response to a request for further information on the new programming in the Old Barn fitness room, Sundance Topham sent the following statement:
“Fitness classes that are scheduled to take place in the Old Barn Fitness Centre will run on a circuit style program, your coach will lead you through how to use the equipment effectively and safely in a fun and exciting group environment. Similar to a small group personal training session, these classes such as Lower Body Blast Bootcamp and Cardio & Core Bootcamp will leave you feeling strong and empowered while knowing that you are working toward your fitness goals. Each class is adaptable to all fitness levels from beginners to advanced. Each fitness class at the Old Barn is taught by our Lead Personal Trainer, Hanif. He specializes in teaching and coaching all ages & abilities. Classes that have been programmed in the Old Barn Fitness Centre will take place during quieter gym-use hours to minimize the disturbance to residents who are using the facility. If weather permits, the classes will take place outdoors using yoga mats, body weight, and portable gym equipment.”
Sundance also wished to reassure residents that “no discussion has happened at the UNA in an official capacity regarding fee increases.”
New Old Barn
Programs at the Old Barn are returning to pre-pandemic levels. In some cases it’s a return of programming -like yoga- but in other ways it’s about new expanded programming - like the bootcamp classes. By the end of the fall the Old Barn will have a new roof, an upgraded a.v. system, fresh paint and flooring, new furniture in the Living Room and updated equipment in the fitness room. As Sundance said via email, “hopefully the changes to the facility are positive and make it a better space for all to use.”
Unrelated, but part of the Old Barn retrofit, is a much needed $165,000 roof repair and renewal. This is supported in the UNA Board meeting materials by a detailed engineering report.