Rocky View County (RVC) released a report early in June summarizing the public input received to date on the creation of the Recreation and Culture Master Plan.
Once the master plan is completed and approved – which is expected by the end of this year - it will be used to guide council to identify where new recreational infrastructure should be located in the county, how to fund new projects and when projects will be implemented.
“I think it’s always important to have a yardstick to help guide capital decisions, and this will be helpful moving forward,” said county reeve Margaret Bahcheli. “This (master plan) will help indicate what residents are really looking for, and what the priorities are. Statistically speaking, when you get to certain population levels, it triggers certain needs in a community. So this plan is going to bring all those factors together.”
The terms of reference for the plan were approved by council July 30, 2013, and the county began a series of workshops to gather the public’s input in late January. Participants were asked to provide input on four main themes: what they imagine RVC’s recreation and culture landscape to be in 2030; how the county could improve the financial sustainability of its recreational and cultural amenities; what recreational and cultural activities are most important for rural areas and hamlets; and what is the most important factor the master plan should address.
Responses in the 35-page report were varied, but included residents wanting to see amenities that are diverse, easily accessible, open to all ages and financially sustainable.
In response to the vision of RVC for the future, one comment read: “(We want amenities to be) thriving, diverse, and locally available and accessible to everyone. Locally focused to help strengthen the community and keep people active and engaged within the community.”
According to the survey results, the recreational facilities with the highest use are the Springbank Park for All Seasons and the Indus Recreation Complex. The survey showed that 157 people travel less than 10 minutes from their home to get to the facility they use most often, 212 people travel between 10 to 20 minutes and 114 people travel between 20 and 30 minutes.
The most popular cultural activities among survey participants include farmers markets, community events and festivals, volunteer organizations, and music festivals and concerts.
The county is currently in the third phase of the five-phase project, which is developing the Draft Action Plan. The Draft Master Plan and the Final Master Plan are expected to be presented to council for approval later this year.
