MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – Mountain View County council has come out in support of a plan to have the Town of Olds apply for $200,000 in recreational grant funding on behalf of six municipalities in the district.
The move came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled Mountain View County council meeting.
“In 2009 the Mountain View Region Parks, Recreation and Culture master plan was created,” administration said in a briefing note to council. “The Town of Olds has applied for an Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) grant to update the plan.”
Olds town council has already approved having the town be the managing partner for the grant application for the 2020 master plan under the inter-municipal collaboration component of ACP.
Once developed the updated plan will serve as a guide, helping municipalities and community leaders alike make decisions about the future of parks, recreation and cultural facilities, and programs and service development within the Mountain View County district.
The master plan focus will be on public parks, recreation and cultural facilities operated by individual municipalities in the district, along with those that are operated by partnership with community organizations.
The overall objective of the planning process is to develop a comprehensive, long-term (five- to 10-year) sustainable strategy for parks, recreation and cultural facilities.
The strategy plan will have a number of functions, including to provide a vision and long-term plan for the region that is founded on sound financial analysis and recommendations for future sustainability” and “establish a solid understanding of stakeholder, partner and citizen needs through a comprehensive community engagement process."
It will also act as a guide for all public parks, recreation and cultural facilities operated by specific jurisdictions, as well as those operated in partnership.
As managing partner the Town of Olds will submit the grant application on behalf of the partnership, enter into the grant agreement, receive and manage the grant funds on behalf of the partnership, and report to the ministry on the project expenditures and outcomes.
Mountain View County has created additional policy since the original 2009 study that will need to be taken into consideration in the update, members heard.
