Recreation Master Plan Open House Meetings Scheduled
Fredericton (March 3, 2008) - The City of Fredericton will hold two open house meetings in March as part of the public consultation process leading to the creation of a new Recreation Master Plan.
The meetings will be held on Monday, March 17 from 7:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m. at Willie O'Ree Place and on Wednesday, March 19 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00p.m., at Fredericton High School (Priestman Street Entrance).
"I'm very pleased to see that a steering committee is now in place and that this important process has begun," said Councillor Bruce Grandy, Chair of the City of Fredericton's Community Service Committee, "I'm looking forward to the public meetings where stakeholder groups and individuals who care about the future of recreation services in our City will have an opportunity to voice their opinions."
In January, City Council awarded a $77,190 tender to dmA Planning and Management Services Inc., in partnership with the Terrain Group and BDA Ltd., to prepare the Master Plan, which will address current as well as future recreation infrastructure and programming needs.
Over the course of the next eight months, the consultants will be meeting with user groups that provide and support the City's many recreation programs and services, to gather their feedback for consideration in the final report due next September.
"dmA Planning & Management Services has undertaken numerous studies in comparable communities across Canada and is familiar with the issues our community faces," added Coun. Grandy. "They understand the importance of facilities to local communities, the value of recreation activities to individual and community health and the importance of fiscal responsibility. As the consulting team and the City's Steering Committee review and assess these issues, they will look to the community to clearly indicate and share their thoughts."
Over the next few months there will be a number of opportunities for the community to provide input in to the Recreation Master Plan process. In addition to the Open House meetings this month, recreation, sport and leisure groups using City facilities will be asked to complete a 'Stakeholder Group' survey on issues facing their organization. Focus groups will also be held to gather feedback from different segments of the community such as seniors and youth, to identify their needs, issues, priorities, and potential opportunities. An on-line public survey and comment cards will also be available to facility and program users and non-users alike, to allow all individuals an opportunity to identify their key issues.
If you would like to learn more about the Recreation Master Plan, please visit the City of Fredericton web site at www.fredericton.ca or contact the City of Fredericton Recreation Division at 460-2230.
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Media Contact: John White, Communications, City of Fredericton, 506-460-2227.
