Pathways, indoor playgrounds, pools, fitness facilities and ice rinks are among the Town of Okotoks’ top recreation priorities.
A draft recreation, parks and leisure master plan was presented to Okotoks council on Jan. 9. The document was created with existing amenities in mind, as well as data compiled from household surveys and meetings with stakeholders and user groups.
Top priorities for new indoor facilities include climbing gyms, indoor playgrounds, swimming pools and ice rinks for leisure skating. Outdoor priorities are interpretive and bike trails, outdoor pools, pathways, pickleball courts, spray parks and day-use areas.
Okotoks community services director Susan Laurin said the priorities were based on existing demand and projected future need, as well as cost, current availability and community interest.
She said the Town lead public surveys to gather opinions from not only those who compete with local sports organizations, but also those who regularly use walking paths or public swim or skate times, soccer fields and playgrounds.
“Not everybody plays competitive sports, but everyone pays taxes and supports public facilities,” said Laurin. “So we wanted to make sure we knew what the entire community wants and what’s the perspective of the entire community.”
The key to developing the recreation and leisure master plan is to strike a balance between competitive sports and leisure opportunities, she said.
Laurin said community members and user groups have provided positive feedback to the draft plan to-date.
“People seem to be happy with the process and that we took information from a wide perspective,” she said.
Peter Mundy, president of the Okotoks United Soccer Club, said he was impressed with the amount of information that was collected and presented.
“They’re really trying to get it right,” he said. “They’ve done a real thorough review of everything and what’s needed for the town. It’s an impressive study.”
Mundy said he’s pleased to see the Town focused not only on sports and recreation, but also on health and fitness for all ages and abilities.
The only figures he wasn’t convinced about were usage statistics for outdoor amenities. While the stats provided listed the number of times fields or ball diamonds might be booked by clubs, he said members of the public spend a number of hours playing on the same fields.
“There is a lot of social and recreational play, kids or families or even adults just going out to kick a ball around or hit a few baseballs,” said Mundy. “I think the usage would actually be higher if they considered recreational usage as well.”
Otherwise, he said the list of priorities seems fair for the town at this time, and the master plan will be a good way to guide future growth.
“I think they captured everything quite accurately,” said Mundy.
Coun. Carrie Fischer was concerned the way priorities were selected doesn’t accurately reflect the current needs of the community.
Outdoor field usage was listed at 10 per cent, yet demand for new fields ranked higher than the need for hockey rinks, which currently have a usage of 96 per cent. She said it’s a misrepresentation of what’s happening in town.
“If you’re looking at this list superficially, there’s no justification to put a rink in during the next five years, but there is justification to put rectangular fields in,” said Fischer. “I think presenting the information in this format is concerning because it requires you do more reading and dig deeper to uncover the whole story.”
Laurin said all feedback from the community and council will be collected until the end of January. The Town’s consultant, RC Strategies, will take into account concerns and suggestions as it reworks the master plan.
She said the master plan will provide an overarching direction but will also be somewhat fluid to accommodate increased popularity in certain activities or the introduction of new sports, like pickleball.
“If you’d told me seven years ago we’d need pickleball courts in town, I would have asked you, ‘What’s pickleball?’” said Laurin. “So we have a provision in here and a tool to revise our priorities over time should things change. We recognize things change in our community, and they can change quite quickly.”
Feedback forms can be found on the Town website, www.okotoks.ca, until Jan. 31.
