City Seeks Input On Community Services Master Plan
City staff provide information on rec services at today's Active Living Market at Pine Centre Mall
Prince George, BC – While City staff are busy chatting with residents about recreational services and the city's upcoming centennial celebrations, they're also seeking input on the inaugural Community Services Master Plan…
The plan will help City Council prioritize decisions over the next 10-years on issues pertaining to recreation and recreation facilities in the City, as well as parks, walking and hiking trails, and community gardens. Staff are soliciting specific input from three demographics – seniors, youth, and the general public – with unique surveys for each.
"And, whether it's someone who enjoys walking their dog, or uses the swimming facilities, or parks and trails, or anything," says Recreation Coordinator, Marta Gregor, "We're just looking for some feedback from them about what they do to recreate in Prince George, what they like, where they see there could be improvements or changes in the city – maybe things that we're missing as far as facilities or programs or sports."
City staff have also been conducting interviews with organizations that have a major interest in parks and recreation and groups that operate facilities through a Rental Agreement, as another way to gather input. A community workshop, free and open to all, is set for this Tuesday, March 4th at the Civic Centre in Room 208. The first roundtable goes between 1:30pm and 4pm. The evening session is from 6:30pm until 9pm.
Gregor says all the input gathered will be compiled and used to create a Draft Master Plan that will be presented during an Open House in June.
The surveys are available online and at City facilites, with a submission deadline of March 21st.
Comments
Like I said in a previous post! Fix/maintain what we have first before taking on anything new!
Keep it simple, KISS PRINCIPLE, potholes, road upgrades.
The city has a master plan for the CN Centre area that was developed years ago that includes parks and trails. They were ready to throw that to the side when a developer wanted to build a hotel there. If the time, energy and money is going to be put into these plans then they should be followed through. If not, don`t bother. Kinda like the OCP. Planning and council can change it at whim if its the `right` developer.
Not sure why they have these “input” things anyways. They don’t listen and they do what they want.
Let the people speak. Then ignore them. The typical green response
Here is a rumour, bingo hall moving into Days Inn. Bingo hall at the casino will be more slots.
@P Val: Complain no matter what the City does. The typical PG resident response.
littlebird has it bang on!
The thing about those kids of grand plans is that situations change. You can either adapt to the current situation or be stuck to a document which may not make sense anymore.
The one investment that is the least regressive for active living cost, where virtually everyone can afford to stay active… is the city trails system. Anyone can go for a walk whether they are an old time pensioner, or a youth on welfare, or a family out to spend some time together. So why does all the capital investment dollars always have to go to vested user groups with user fees and restricted access through fees, hours of operation, ability to compete, and what not?
One thing I always think is a damn shame about this city is that we have so many fantastic and near iconic viewscapes that could be opened up from the underbrush that would really show PG as unique in its own light… but we allow these places to be overgrown blocking those potential picture taking locations for tourists, or just the view on the drive home… because trees of all things can’t be pruned as if we don’t have enough of them already.
I’ll even go further and name locations. The puny deciduous trees looking North towards the downtown from Highway 97 going by Pine Center, in particular near the off ramp to Massey Drive. Mow that stuff down and put a lawn in there, then mow the bloody lawn once every month or so. Its a great 180% view location of the city in the background with the recreation facilities in the foreground.
Another is on Cannaught Hill. Why not some slots through the trees where a person could take a picture of the city with the cut banks in the background? Why not some imaginative pruning that takes out some of those select half dead trees blocking the view. Ditto for the UNBC parking lot where one could once have a great view of the city before it got treed in… why not have a rolling hill of lawn down below instead (it would be much more safe as well being open with animals in full visibility).
The city almost needs to have a commission on trail grooming and tree pruning to get the public input on that and get it right. Promote ourselves a little bit where we really can and it costs next to nothing to accomplish.
The best thing Vancouver ever did was have their commission on viewscapes. That legacy lives on to this day and is a huge part of the rainy cities success.
I totally agree with the viewscapes idea and a reasonable pruning program. It is a common problem in other cities as well.
We have just gone through losing local “scrub” trees through the pine beetle invasion. When they were first cut down a significant number of areas looked absolutely bald. No I hardly notice it anymore.
Cutting select trees to provide distant views of the citiscape would not be radical tree clearance at all.
In addition, they finally planted some trees along first avenue, something they should have done 4 to 5 decades ago and we would have had a nice barrier for the near views of the railway yards.
Actually, the heritage commission is supposed to look at viewscapes as well as trees with some historic significance.
They like putting signs where buildings used to stand and are doing little to identify significant existing buildings before they to disappear.
Perhaps we could ask them to take down some trees and put up some signs. :-)
Comments for this article are closed.