Prince Edward County is moving forward with a new Parks and Rec Master Plan.
During Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, council members discussed the master plan as presented by staff.
This is the first comprehensive master plan for parks the county has put together, with the process beginning in 2021. The policy incorporated public input along with expert consultation and demographic data in order to set priorities for parks and rec spending in the next 10 years.
The plan was broken down into three pillars, which each included several strategic directions. The first pillar is Community Recreation Hubs which covers designating the hubs and planning for indoor facilities. Service Delivery Excellence includes efforts to deliver effective recreation services, and creating vibrant museum experiences. The last pillar, Parks and Outdoor Facilities, includes strategic investment in outdoor facilities, actively planning new parkland, and strengthening the trail network. Each of the strategic directions is further broken down into action items that can be accomplished.
Action items are divided into ongoing efforts, short-term plans for one-to-two years, medium term plans to be complete in three-to-five years, and long-term plans to be done in six years or more.
Mayor Steve Ferguson said that the new plan is a terrific step forward.
“I’m thankful that this plan has come forward to this council. I think it’s an extraordinary document. There’s so much in this. It’s so fulsome,” said Mayor Ferguson. “It’s going to be a lot for the public to digest, but it is a guiding document.”
During debate, an amendment was proposed to move planned evaluations of underused parkland to determine if it is surplus, and to create a disposition policy on how to handle surplus parkland from medium-term to short-term objectives. That amendment to the plan was passed.
The committee approved the plan and sent it on to the next meeting of council for final approval.
