Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Chad Klassen

RECREATION MASTER PLAN

Residents being given last chance to weigh in on city’s first recreational master plan

Oct 1, 2019 | 4:55 PM

KAMLOOPS — After engaging with the residents of Kamloops a year ago, the city has written a draft of its recreation master plan for the next decade. City staff are now giving people a last-minute chance to share their thoughts on the new plan.

The first of two open houses will take place at McArthur Island on Wednesday night with the city hosting a second one at Heritage House on Thursday evening. Residents can hear about the city’s master plan and provide any input about what they think is missing.

“The draft plan is already written. However, if there is something that we really have missed, then we certainly do want the public to tell us about that,” said the city’s recreation, health and wellness supervisor Linda Stride. “The draft plan was written out of the engagement we did a year ago with the surveys and the open houses. That’s what we heard at the time, but if for some reason somebody was unable to make or a major user group that we didn’t have an opportunity to engage with, this would be the time.”

The city has heard through engagement there are barriers to participation in the city, both financial and transportation.

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“We feel we are in a good position, as we have the ARCH program, which is the Affordable Recreation for Community Health program, as well as the new city [bus] pass, which is for transportation,” said Stride. “But obviously, we need to do a better job with increasing awareness about those programs, so people know they are available to them.”

In terms of infrastructure, Stride says people have pointed to the need for a performing arts centre. They also want more ice sheets in the city and more access to aquatic facilities.

“We have a beautiful 50-metre pool here at Canada Games and we have Westsyde and the Y has a lovely pool, but again it’s that leisurization component of aquatics,” said Stride. “The third [component] was the arenas. Knowing that we are at capacity during our peak times for arenas, so we could probably use another one to two sheets immediately and into the next five years.”

Stride will be presenting a final version of the recreation master plan to city council at the end of the month. If passed by council, the city will then move ahead with feasibility studies to determine how the proceed next.