The terms of reference for the long-overdue Recreation Master Plan was presented to Rocky View County council on July 30 and the reaction of county was positive.
Once the document is completed and approved, 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.
“We have no policies currently or procedures or guidelines to help establish where recreational needs should be, what they should be and how we should service our residents in an appropriate manner,” said Recreation Services Coordinator Dari Lang in her presentation to council.
Lang explained that the County has already received more than $20 million dollars in Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) funding requests this year,18 capital project requests and supports more than 60 recreational amenities, but the County has “no strong benchmarks on how to evaluate the requests.”
The MSI is a $156-million provincial grant over 10 years used to support different infrastructure needs such as recreational amenities, roads and fire halls.
Lang added recreational funding requests are currently evaluated based on how successful fundraising campaigns are, the amount of community support shown for the project, input from the County’s 10 regional recreation boards, and is left to council’s discretion for approval. Recreational funds are generated through the County’s public reserve, voluntary recreational contributions from developers and a recreational tax levy.
Focusing on the not-for-profit amenities, the RMP will develop a one-to-five year transitional and sustainability plan, and a five-to-10 year and 10-to-20 year growth plan for recreational and cultural needs. The plan will also include a detailed map of what recreational amenities are being used in areas of the county, which Lang said will help determine what type of recreational amenities may be needed in the future.
“We have an incredible amount of funding requests as it is with our current population size, but as our population continues to increase, we’re going to need a clear direction on where and how and when we should spend our limited resources to get the best bang for our buck,” said Councillor Al Sacuta, adding the RMP will be “valuable” in supporting the County Plan, which will direct where development will occur.
Lang said administration’s goal is to have the plan finished by September 2014 for council’s approval. The process to develop the RMP will include a “very detailed public component to consult residents, key stakeholders and council to determine what the plan should look like,” she said, adding that portion will get underway in this September.
The plan will also take into account other municipal documents including the County Plan (once approved), the Parks and Open Space Master Plan, the 2013 Census results and Area Structure Plans.
“I think this is so valuable, so the sooner we can get it finished, the better it will be for everyone,” said Councillor Liz Breakey.
