Volunteers are being sought to assist in the running of the Cowichan Sportsplex.
The Sportsplex is a regional outdoor sports, fitness and recreation park covering 26 acres in the Cowichan Valley that serves more than 200,000 people each year.
The facility is run by the Chesterfield Sports Society, a non-profit organization that was instrumental in the facility’s construction in 1996, and is funded largely by donations, usage revenues and grants from local municipalities.
The society is now looking for volunteers to be on its 12-member board of directors.
Richard Ellis, the society’s treasurer, said the AGM is being scheduled for Oct. 25 and there is a need for more people to step forward to help manage the facility.
He said that while the society is set up to have 12 board members, it has rarely seen those numbers in recent years.
Ellis said the board currently has only seven members, a drop from the nine that it started the year with after two directors left for various reasons.
“Many people are just not willing to volunteer anymore in an ever-changing world,” he said.
“It’s hard these days to find people to work a few hours a month for a worthwhile cause. But we’re looking for people that are interested in their community and value what this unique facility has to offer.”
Ellis said the board needs at least three members to remain a functioning body, and if it doesn’t even have that minimum number, it is required to dissolve.
“We lease the land from the Municipality of North Cowichan and, while all surface infrastructure belongs to us, North Cowichan would become responsible for the facility if the board is forced to dissolve,” he said.
Ellis said the time and place of the AGM on Oct. 25 has yet to be determined.
He said packages for directors are available at the Sportsplex office at 5847 Chesterfield Rd. in Duncan, or they can be mailed out if interested people call 250-746-5666.