Todd Brown, President and Principal Planner, Monteith Brown Planning Consultants, provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Background and Community Engagement Summary Report. Highlights of the presentation included:
- the importance and purpose of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan;
- summarizing the completion of the first two (2) phases of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan in the Background and Community Engagement Summary Report;
- considering the community demographic profile, the current parking and recreation facility inventory, program usage data, and key trends such as inclusion and access, and the popularity of unstructured and self-scheduled activities;
- reviewing the Town’s existing parks and recreation facilities and amenities;
- findings from the public consultation and community engagement results including, how residents made use of parks and recreation facilities, participation barriers, and services considered a priority;
- details about consultation with stakeholder focus group, staff workshops and interviews, and the virtual public consultation sessions; and,
- project timelines and next steps.
A question and answer period ensued between Members of Committee and Mr. Brown regarding:
- using community feedback to determine how to invest in the waterfront and looking at best practices from municipalities such as Cobourg and Kingston;
- obtaining public feedback on waterfront designs;
- focusing on in-person engagement and assessing feedback from different age groups;
- analyzing current and future demographics to ensure that community needs are met;
- whether the implementation of unscheduled events in other municipalities was successful;
- impacts of Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, on requests by the Town to developers for land for park use and the quality of the land provided within developments;
- whether a cost analysis would be provided in the final plan;
- whether locations for future dog parks could be identified for the next phase;
- providing facilities that offer a wide range of activities such as multi-use pads and fields;
- whether public feedback was received regarding lighting for parks and trails, cricket fields, and racket sports such as squash and badminton;
- the level of detail provided in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan such as specifications on the type and use of facilities and where such facilities should be located;
- whether survey results indicate that the Whitby Sports Complex addresses the needs of the community;
- effectively communicating the services provided by the Town to determine what services are lacking and whether there is a need for additional investment into services already provided; and,
- analyzing neighbourhood demographics to ensure services meet community needs.