At the regular council meeting last night (March 6), Mark Pretzlaff, Director of Community and Protective Services asked for funding to support a Recreation Culture Needs Assessment.
As part of its Strategic Plan, the Council has prioritized the maintenance, protection, and improvement of Community Wellness services that support optimum lifestyles for residents of Strathmore.
"Our recreation master plan is five years old and impacted by COVID. So, by conducting a recreation and cultural needs assessment, we'll have a better scope of our existing facilities and any potential future developments that may arise," explained Pretzlaff.
A Needs Assessment helps define the current state of a community and identifies future needs and potential priority areas. It is an essential component for planning future growth and will act as a critical supporting document that helps to define the needs and desires of a community and help determine how to allocate resources responsibly.
"A recreation and cultural needs assessment is a snapshot of what's currently available to the community, both publicly and in the surrounding area and then providing recommendations on potential growth opportunities based on the feedback of the community in general."
A prioritization criterion will be established to rank the projects based on community, accessibility, and social inclusion.
In January 2020, the Council adopted a Recreation & Culture Master Plan, replacing the 2010 Quality of Life Master Plan, to serve as the primary document guiding the Town’s provision of and support for recreation and culture services in the community.
When it was adopted, the Master Plan assessed the current state and identified priorities and recommendations regarding the provision of recreation, culture, active and creative lifestyle opportunities, and services to meet the needs of residents and visitors over the next ten years.
At the same time, as new trends emerge, priorities shift, and different opportunities arise, a Needs Assessment will help to understand and prioritize the present and future recreation and cultural needs of the community.
The council approved a capital budget request for $60,000 and funded it from the Fiscal stabilization reserve for the 2024 Recreational and Cultural Needs Assessment.
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