CREMONA - Cremona Village council has received a report on a recently completed regional plan for recreation and culture in the district.
The Mountain View Regional Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan was prepared by Expedition Management Consulting on behalf of municipalities throughout the district, including Mountain View County and the Village of Cremona.
The report was reviewed by council during the March 15 regularly-scheduled council meeting. It includes Cremona priorities.
The plan is designed to help guide future decisions when it comes to facilities and activities in each partner community as well as across the entire region.
Top priorities identified for Cremona include conducting facility condition assessment, increasing utilization of existing facilities, exploring indoor walking track opportunities, establishing a space for youth programming, creating the development of a skatepark, and enhancing outdoor festivals and events space.
Community engagement activities were used to garner information for the plan, including resident surveys, youth surveys, stakeholder and staff interviews, and council input workshops.
In preparing the plan, officials found that in the Mountain View region there are strong supplies of facilities such as aquatic centres, curling rinks and community halls. As well, there are active user groups delivering programming, regional collaboration, and a high level of community support for parks, recreation and culture.
Officials also found in the Mountain View region there is capacity to increase utilization of some facilities, critical infrastructure is aging, accessibility and inclusion is lacking in some facilities, some organizations are struggling with sustainability, and the regional population is aging.
Top regional priorities identified included studying the feasibility of developing a regional multipurpose leisure centre, which could include field house, ice sheet, indoor playground, climbing wall, indoor track, and sports fields.
Other regional priorities included developing a master plan for a regional trails network, increased utilization of existing ice arenas and adding additional ice, improves facility accessibility and overall inclusivity, seeking opportunities to strengthen recreation funding agreements, and adopting a capital project evaluation criteria and process.
Implementing the plan’s recommendations could result in parks, recreation and culture services positioned as a core municipal service, increased resident attraction and retention, increased tourism, and support for economic development.
As well, communities would be working together to achieve mutual goals, and community members of all ages and abilities could report a high level of satisfaction with facilities and programs.
Council accepted the report as information.
