Council unanimously accepted a major planning document that outlines future investment in recreational infrastructure for the Town of Canmore earlier in September.
The Recreation Master Plan was presented to council last Tuesday (Sept. 20) by consultant Michael Roma with RC Strategies, which was hired to prepare the $100,000 master plan.
In addition to recognizing that recreation is a social good, worthy of investment at the municipal government level, the Recreation Master Plan outlines 25 specific recommendations to be considered into the future.
The master plan included high level recommendations like increasing participation and use of existing facilities; building awareness of recreational offerings; building capacity for service delivery, including recognizing the importance of volunteers and optimizing future investment.
Roma went through a few examples of the 25 recommendations to be made regarding recreation in Canmore, such as the fact many residents are unaware of financial assistance programs currently in place.
He said the municipality could take what it has learned about marketing Elevation Place and apply it to other programs like the financial assistance available to residents who are in need.
Another recommendation focused on partnering with stakeholder or local recreation groups in the community to work on proposed improvements.
“We have given you tools to deal with those proposals and requirements for groups to justify public investment,” Roma said.
In the past few years, council has seen proposals from community groups regarding tennis and squash court development, but has deferred proposals from both until the master plan was completed.
The master plan provides decision makers with a framework for determining when to replace a building or asset and when to reinvest with renovations or upgrades.
“That is important,” Roma said to council. “Because it does drive a conversation about the Canmore Rec Centre. Moving forward, it is going to require significant investment.”
But, Roma said, there is the reality that council cannot do everything for everyone when it comes to recreation and the plan provides a prioritization framework for specific indoor and outdoor infrastructure.
In addition to the planning document, RC Strategies created a State of Recreation report for Canmore – a snapshot into the current state of recreation in the community, including all the research prepared and public engagement.
“We know we need to understand the state of recreation in a community before we can talk strategically about moving forward,” Roma said.
The fact that Canmore is amenity rich, he said, is one of the reasons people are attracted to the community, either as residents, part-time residents or visitors.
Canmore has, from a regional perspective, half the indoor and half the outdoor infrastructure provided to residents of the Bow Valley and accessed for recreational use.
Roma said that means when it comes to future planning, the municipality should consider repair and maintenance and reinvestment into existing facilities to extend their lifespans.
“One of the common themes we find in all plans is there will be major investment required just to sustain what you have and you need to be aware of that,” he said.
He also commended Canmore’s enterprise model being used for recreation – beginning at ElevationPlace. The model represents using “business acumen with a social conscience,” said Roma and is one of the leading practices in recreation services.
With more than 5,000 people holding membership to Elevation Place, he said that shows great success and demonstrates people value recreation in the community.
The engagement process for the Recreation Master Plan also demonstrated a high level of engagement in the community with an excellent response rate in the mailout survey, feedback from groups and stakeholders.
Roma said while there was a definite appetite for new facilities, there was not as much for supporting such development through taxes or user fees.
Go to www.canmore.ca to access both reports prepared by the consultants on recreation.
