City Council approved the 2017 Park Strategy at Monday’s meeting, which means we’re a little closer to having more beautiful outdoor spaces.
City staff spent 18 months surveying a total of 109 Prince George parks and evaluated each on community demands city standards. Some athletic parks and green spaces were also evaluated. Staff also held meetings with stakeholder organisations, like School District 57, and hosted six public springtime meetings that saw more than 500 residents. Approximately 1300 more people provided feedback through online and print copies.
City planner Laurie-Ann Kosec and her team found some reoccurring themes. Walking was the number one activity enjoyed in parks so residents wanted more trail maintenance and connectivity. Feedback also suggested more parks and trails along the rivers, and a mix of bigger “destination” park (similar to Duchess Park) with smaller neighbourhood park improvements.
After all that, Kosec says it’s time to start focusing on improvements.
“We’ve seen a lot of work go into our roads but now our parks are at the forefront so everything from riverfront parks and trails, these are things that people are looking for and this is where money is going to start to go.”
Pending Council’s budget decision, some immediate goals include creating a guide for selling redundant sites and fund park investment, redesign park web pages, and establish ongoing collaboration with partners. The 5-year plan includes a capital investment expected to cost about $250,000/year to fix or replace four or five parks annually. An extra $175,000/year would be needed for larger, stand-alone projects like replacing Rainbow Park.
Parks not listed above are a scheduled to be retained.