Have park needs in the city changed since the pandemic began? Are those public spaces offering what new residents want or need from them? What changes would be beneficial?
Those are among the types of questions city officials are asking as they assess the future of parks throughout the city and prepare a long-term plan for council’s consideration as the population grows.
“Engagement is the most meaningful way the public can provide their insight into projects that are important to our community,” said city park planner Tiffany Hanna via email. “We can't know what they need if they don't tell us. And some of the best and most successful projects implemented over the years were ones where the community really showed up and engaged with us on their needs.”
Public input is currently being sought through an online survey available at haveyoursay.guelph.ca until Jan. 20.
Online focus group discussions are also slated to be held Jan. 12 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and Jan. 13 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Comments received will be used in development of a new parks plan, to be incorporated into the parks and recreation master plan which is currently in development and expected to be presented to council for consideration next year.
“We take our citizen feedback very seriously, but it is one of several sources of information we use to help us make decisions,” explained Hanna. “We check community feedback data against other statistically valid sources like our citizen satisfaction survey, census information, research studies, public health data and demographic information.”
The current parks and recreation master plan has been in place since 2009 and a lot has changed since then, she noted. In addition to altered community needs, there have been a number of legislative changes, as well as new approaches within the recreation industry and planning.
The park plan will help guide how the city attempts to meet park and recreation needs and offers services for the next 10 years. In addition to parks, the plan looks at infrastructure and land requirements for indoor and outdoor facilities.
“Given the long-term planning horizon of the plans, it may take several years for residents to see notable changes to the park system or our policies,” Hanna added. “Where possible, we will use the feedback we receive to make changes sooner if it is something we can incorporate into our existing services.”
