As Rocky View County (RVC) continues to implement its new county-wide recreation model, a forthcoming comprehensive Recreation and Parks Master Plan will direct what future municipal recreation services look like.
The project was initiated after council unanimously approved a Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Master Plan during a regular meeting Jan. 14.
“[The Master Plan] will define what, where, why, when and how recreational services will be provided to the county,” said Gurbir Nijjar, acting manager of Recreation, Parks and Community Support.
The plan constitutes the third phase of implementing the new recreation governance model, he said, which was approved by council in July 2019. Previously, council established a Recreation Governance Committee, and a county-wide needs assessment is currently underway to understand the recreation desires of residents. According to Nijjar, the needs assessment will inform the Master Plan.
“A growing population in RVC has required an increased level of service delivery and a review of our recreational-service-delivery model in RVC,” he said.
The Recreation and Parks Master Plan is, according to administration’s report, critical and advantageous as the County continues to grow and develop, and would be a “'made in RVC solution' that should examine county-wide recreational needs and assist with prioritizing programs, funding frameworks and capital development in the County.” The plan is intended to provide vision, guidance and an implementation plan for recreational development across the municipality over the next 20 years.
According to Nijjar, key components of the plan address the County’s role in delivering recreation services, prioritizing recreational needs of residents, the amount of investment in recreation relative to population and identifying opportunities to interface with municipal neighbours.
With the TOR approved, the project will be initiated early this year. Administration will retain a consulting firm to complete the document, and Nijjar noted the project is already part of the County’s 2020 operating budget.
He added the Master Plan is anticipated to be completed in fall 2020.
While praising the TOR as “a great start,” Coun. Kim McKylor said she was “concerned about the timing.”
“I know we have to go out and do public consultation – that’s a very important piece of this – and I know council needs to decide what business we’re in, as far as recreation delivery,” she said. “I just want it being on record – of course, everyone here knows this – we’ve got groups waiting for our plan. They want to know what we’re going to look like when we grow up, from a recreation point of view.”
