Altona town council has officially signed off on the completed Recreation and Active Transportation plan, adopting it as a guide for future decision-making.
The last time the Town had such a plan drawn up was in 1997. And while a lot of work has been done since then, Mayor Harv Schroeder said in an earlier interview, that Council felt a new framework for the future was needed, guiding planning and budgeting for the next 20 years.
Related stories:
- Altona residents catch glimpse of early recreation and active transportation master plan
- New recreation master plan will help Altona Council plan for the future, says Mayor
"It just gives us a tool to look back at," he said. "This Council and the next Council can look back and say, 'this is what the community talked about, we should be looking at this.' We also look back and say, what can partners do in the community?"
Schroeder emphasized, this plan isn't a step-by-step to-do list but rather a compilation of dreams and short-term and long-term goals of the community gleaned through public feedback from surveys, open houses and stakeholder groups. "It was important to us to have those perspectives and, when included in this plan, gives us a really good idea of what people in the community want."
Additionally, added Schroeder, many of those dreams will be driven by the community just like Access Field, the Community Garden and The Bridge Skatepark, to name a few.
"Many of our great facilities and spaces have been led by community and user groups with a lot of hard work, fundraising, sponsorships and sweat equity. So, we look forward to continue the work with existing and future users, user groups and partners in finding ways to help some of these dreams become reality."
As an example, the Mayor pointed to the Altona Angels current $200,000 push to upgrade the softball diamonds located on local school grounds.
Related stories:
- Altona Angels set sights on more clay diamond improvements
- Altona Angels Softball Club hoping to invest $200,000 toward facility upgrades and player development
"A big appreciation and thank you to that group," said Schroeder. "But again, they're using some of the facilities that we already have, and those are things we're looking at. How can we use the facilities that we have more efficiently, and what are the next steps? Because they all come with a cost and it's not just a one-time cost, it's on-going upkeep."
Meantime, there is one project that the Town could embark on sooner rather than later, and that's an east-west active transportation corridor along Centre Ave. The idea, explained Schroeder, would be to establish a multi-use pathway from 5th Ave. NW where the current pathway ends all the way down to 6th Ave. NE.
"We have actually applied for a grant through the national Active Transportation Fund, which Urban Systems has helped us apply for and, because we have this document already, I think we're in good position to get a strong application in for this project."
Click here to view the Town of Altona's Recreation and Active Transportation master plan.