CITY COUNCIL APPROVES RECREATION AND PARKS MASTER PLAN
City Council has approved the City of Saskatoon’s (City) Recreation and Parks Master Plan (Master Plan) to provide an overall framework for guiding the development, delivery, and continuous improvement of recreation and parks programs, services, and facilities now and into the future.
The Master Plan, developed through broad public engagement, will replace the 1995 Public Recreation Policy. It was developed by a diverse team, including consultants and Civic Administration, under the guidance of an internal Project Steering Committee and a Community Feedback Committee with sixteen public representatives from key agencies and sectors in Saskatoon that are involved in and/or impacted by recreation and parks services.
The Master Plan is meant to provide a framework for action regarding recreation and parks, and although focused on the City’s role in service provision, it provides insight and information for the benefit of all related stakeholders.
Included in the Master Plan are 3 overarching goals and 19 intended service outcomes that outline a desired end state that can be achieved through provision of, and participation in, recreation and parks activities.
“Recreation is a cornerstone, not only for healthy individuals, but also for vibrant and complete communities, which contribute to the city’s quality of life, social progress, and economic development,” says Lynne Lacroix, Director of Community Development.
The Master Plan identifies recommendations for programming, service delivery and infrastructure, for both the City and the community for the next 5 to 15 years. Major projects identified that are likely to be assessed for consideration in the near future, include, but are not limited to:
- reinvestment in the City’s existing recreation facilities and parks (i.e. Leisure Centres, play structures, park upgrades, paddling pools, etc.);
- potential partnerships around the development of indoor ice facilities including leisure ice; and
- the potential development of a recreation facility.
“The City will begin work on an implementation plan, including short-, medium-, and long-term strategies,” explains Lacroix. “The Master Plan will be dynamic throughout time; priorities will shift as new information becomes available. The frameworks and systems outlined in the Master Plan will allow recreation and parks’ stakeholders to adapt as Saskatoon grows and evolves.”
Visit www.saskatoon.ca/recmasterplan for the highlights of the Recreation and Parks Master Plan, to view the plan in its entirety, and for more information on implementation.
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