Prince Edward County council has received a briefing on the new Parks and Recreation Master Plan, laying out a number of recommended actions for the municipality.
During Tuesday’s council meeting, Jon Hack from Sierra Planning and Management, gave a presentation about a study done on the master plan and recreation currently in Prince Edward County.
During his presentation, Hack relayed several key details and findings to councillors.
The study examined recreation options around the municipality, including ice surfaces, indoor gymnasium spaces, pool spaces, sports fields, baseball diamonds, and tennis courts.
The study found the municipality had enough ice surfaces to meet demand, and that no action was needed to build more.
The study also found that some recreational facilities weren’t meeting demand, such as indoor gymnasium spaces, and recommended planning to establish a municipal gym space in the long term, while co-operating with school boards to gain access to school gym spaces in the short term.
A potential shortage of public pools was also identified, and a study was proposed to determine if a municipal-operated public pool would be feasible.
The municipality’s hands-off approach to managing sports fields and baseball diamonds was singled out in the report, with a recommendation to take control of bookings for these locations. While they are public property, the municipality hasn’t exhibited much control over their use, or collected enough information about who is using them.
Councillor Roy Pennell proposed repurposing some of these facilities if they are under-used, to better meet the needs of the community.
“In the Carrying Place area, the baseball diamond, which the taxpayers have paid for, is seldom used. When it is, it’s usually people from another municipality,” said Councillor Pennell. “Now we’re getting more development within the Carrying Place area, but I find people are not migrating to the park.”
The report went on to recommend that Prince Edward County shift its approach from hands off to directly delivering recreation programs as the population increases, and new facilities are constructed. It was noted that this would require an increase in staff for parks and recreation to create and deliver those programs.
The standing town halls in the Prince Edward County communities were also mentioned, with a recommendation to keep them in good condition for use as community spaces into the future.
The study also found that the population in Prince Edward County is growing, with growth centred largely on Picton and Wellington. The population is also growing older overall, with adults aged 65 and higher becoming a larger and larger part of the population.
Council recieved the presentation, but took no action at this time.
