Make your bookings at the Keeler Centre

The experiment which took the booking process from the Keeler Centre to the Township office is over.

While it was not stated at Cramahe Council on Monday, Council acknowledged that there is a better way of booking facilities than by doing it at the township office. In a unanimous vote council approved a long-awaited proposal by Community Services Director, Dan O'Brien to have bookings for almost all township venues done at the Keeler Centre where he operates. The only building booked from the township office now is the township office itself.

All other locations - the Keeler Centre and Rotary Hall, Castleton Town Hall, the VBJ Centre and the Lawn Bowling Clubhouse - will all be booked by calling 905 355-2846. Contracts will be negotiated and signed at the Keeler Centre and invoicing will continue to be done at the township office.

To accommodate the process, Mr. O'Brien stated on Tuesday he will be cross-training his staff so that customers get prompt efficient service.

In his written report to council, Mr. O'Brien referred to the service method as one-stop shopping. However the one-stop shopping does not, at this point, include catering.

When asked if Cramahe was headed toward the provision of catering as part of its service, Mayor Marc Coombs stated, "Not yet. Mr. O'Brien is getting his feet wet."

Mr. O'Brien was unable to attend the November 2 Council Meeting. The next day he admitted he sees a need to make more changes, but did not commit to adding catering as part of the township package. "There are lots of models out there," he offered. Mr. O'Brien says he has not had time to make a full assessment.

The director is "very pleased" with the council decision. "This will make a big difference to clients," he stated. "This is a step in the right direction for us to service Cramahe Township."

He staffs the Community Services Department using the Continental Shift approach and has staff at the Keeler Centre on weekends. People who call will often get a person at the end of the line when they call with enquiries.

He says people who rent a facility must have a contact number while their function is on and most events don't take place on Monday to Friday.

As of November 3, all bookings will be made at the Keeler Centre for the Castleton Town Hall, VBJ Centre, Lawn Bowling Clubhouse, Keeler Centre and Rotary Room.

In his written report to Cramahe Council on November 2, Community Services Director, Dan O’Brien, stated the change will allow his staff to provide excellent service for clients and stakeholders, one-stop shopping for facility rental, cost-effective service delivery, and improved scheduling of staff.

The booking of the facilities moved to the township offices during the tenure of the previous director, Terry Scott. The goal was to improve the booking process but since then there have been periodic and ongoing glitches in the booking system. In recent months there have been double bookings, lost bookings and communication problems.

Mr. O'Brien promises the new method will provide excellent service, create one-stop shopping, provide cost-effective service delivery and allow timely and efficient scheduling of staff and rental items.

Mr. O’Brien stated on November 3 that it will take about a week to have everything operational. There will be no additional cost.

The Community Services Department already books ball diamonds and ice time.