PORT COLBORNE PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE NO. 2 APRIL 24, 2019 PARKS & - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

PORT COLBORNE PARKS & RECREATION MASTER PLAN

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE NO. 2 APRIL 24, 2019

THE TEAM

PIERRE CHAUVIN & JULIE WELCH Project Team Lead: Planning/Landscape Architecture RAY OSMOND Recreation & Programming ASHLEY GRIGG & PORT COLBORNE CITY STAFF Community Services & Economic Development Dept.

AGENDA

• Presentation (40 mins)
• Questions (up to 45 mins)

PRC WORK PLAN

BACKGROUND INFORMATION PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ANALYSIS & RECOMMENDATIONS FINAL PLAN & IMPLEMENTATION

Winter 2019 Winter - Spring 2019 Spring 2019 Summer 2019

WHY ARE WE HERE?

• Your participation and feedback has helped us

understand Port Colborne’s Parks and Recreational landscape:

• Strengths & Assets
• What is missing, what is needed?
• Key themes
• We want to share some of the findings of

consultation; and,

• Discuss what happens next…

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Parks & Recreation Master Plan is to create a guiding document that will:

• Provide a 10-year vision for the development of parks, recreation and

facilities in Port Colborne that is based on community values,

• perational needs and financial realities
• Provide recommendations for the development, prioritization, and/or

improvements to parks, recreation facilities and programs/services

• Provide an assessment & progress tool to ensure that the Department

achieves success

OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE

• Staff Engagement & Working Sessions

(December 4th)

• Council Engagement & Working Sessions

(December 18th, April 30th)

• Public Open House (January 24th)
• Public Survey (Live as of January 20th, 2019
• pen for 5 weeks)
• Stakeholder Engagement Session (February

21st)

• Other Department Staff Meetings/Interviews

(January - Present)

SURVEY FINDINGS

Top five (5) reasons Port Colborne residents participate in recreational activities include:

1.

Physical Health/Exercise

2.

Enjoy Nature

3.

Relaxation

4.

Be With Family/Friends

5.

Pleasure/Entertainment

WHAT DID WE HEAR?

Parks & Recreation impacts community wellbeing

• Parks and recreational facilities/services help bring the community together
• The primary role of Parks & Rec staff is to encourage physical activity and

healthy/happy lifestyles

• 63% of survey respondents believe that Port Colborne is a healthy place to

live

• 40% of survey respondents believe that there is a problem with the quality of

health and well-being in Port Colborne

• 73% of survey respondents believe there is a need for greater access to

recreation programs and services in Port Colborne

WHAT DID WE HEAR?

Parks The most frequently visited parks include:

1.

H.H. Knoll Lakeview Park

2.

Lock 8 Gateway Park

3.

Nickel Beach

4.

T.A. Lannan Sports Complex

5.

Humberstone Centennial Park & Beach Recreational users value Port Colborne’s waterfront, the Welland Canal and access to clustered recreational facilities/amenities

WHAT DID WE HEAR?

Trails

 High usage of trails in Port Colborne  45% indicated they use trails once a week

• r more

 Some of the most popular trails in Port

Colborne include:

 Friendship Trail  Welland Canal Parkway Trail  Waterfront Trail  Mud Lake  East/West Trail

WHAT DID WE HEAR?

Recreational Facilities In terms of usage, recreational facilities are ranked as follows:

1.

Vale Health & Wellness Centre

2.

Sugarloaf Harbour Marina

3.

Roselawn Centre for the Arts

4.

Lock 8 Lighthouse

5.

Sherkston Community Centre

6.

Bethel Community Centre

7.

Humberstone Community Hall

*Ranked by % of respondents who visit once a week

• r more

WHAT DID WE HEAR?

Most Attended City-run Events (in order):

• 1. Canal Days
• 2. Canada Day
• 3. SportsFest
• 4. Lighted Santa Claus Parade
• 5. Other (Art Crawl, Easter Egg

Hunt, Harvest Fest, Carnival, Moon Flick, car shows)

*Ranked by # of respondents who indicated yearly attendance.

WHAT DID WE HEAR?

Programming Results indicate that the City could consider increasing program

• fferings in the following areas:

1.

Special events

2.

Adventure activities

3.

Environmental/nature activities

4.

Watersport activities

5.

Wellness activities (yoga, Pilates)

6.

Indoor fitness

STRENGTHS & ASSETS

The most important Parks & Rec strengths and assets for Port Colborne includes…

• Waterfront & Beaches
• Welland Canal
• Physical features drive City events (Canal Days)
• Seasonal Activities & lifestyle
• Unique parks (e.g. Lock 8)
• Sugarloaf Harbour Marina
• Local and Regional trails system
• Dedicated volunteer base
• Department committed to providing high level
• f service
• Cultural heritage and connection to City’s past

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

Parks:

 79% feel there are a sufficient number of parks

and open space in Port Colborne.

 61% are satisfied with the aesthetic appearance

and quality of the City’s public lands

 Improve general maintenance of parks/public

spaces

 Improved urban ecology (e.g. more trees for shade,

landscaping)

 Waste management & public washroom facilities

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

Parks:

 The top three actions survey

respondents are most willing to support when it comes to improving parks:

1.

Purchase or acquire land to improve beach access and use (42%)

2.

Improve existing walking/hiking/cycling trails (38%)

3.

Develop recreational and visitor facilities and features along the canal (36%)

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

Parks:

 87% agree that the City should

• ffer more diverse and specialized

parks

 Transition underutilized parks to

more ‘active parks’ with different recreational uses

 Improve access to waterfront for

recreational use

 Nickel Beach improvements

(parking and amenities, hours of usage)

 Safety of outdoor parks (CPTED)

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

Trails:

 72% feel there are a sufficient number of trails in the

community.

 62% feel that parks and trails are well signed and

easy to locate.

 Wayfinding could use improvement to link trails to

• ther Port Colborne parks/attractions

 Waterfront trails/access to waterfront (highly valued)  Complete street connections/bike lanes  More naturalized hiking trails  Manage users of trails and reduce usage conflicts

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

Facilities:

 Maintenance and updates to City-owned facilities  Corporate partnership and sponsorships for facility management  Optimize use of underutilized facilities  Long-term planning and vision needed  Gymnasium/warm-up space  Repair and revitalize the Marina; increase storage  Accessibility requirements and updates Rank Top 3 Indoor Recreation Facilities Requested Top 3 Outdoor Recreation Facilities Requested 1 Indoor Child Playground Access to waterfront 2 Indoor Pool Outdoor swimming pool 3 Fitness/wellness facilities Walking/cycling trail system

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

Events:

 Vision/direction for City’s flagship

events

 73% of survey respondents willing to

continue supporting Canal Days with their tax dollars

 Strengthen linkage between events

and Port Colborne’s unique history/features

 Improve promotion of events  Central platform to share information

about community events (beyond just City events)

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

Programming:

 How satisfied are you

with the availability of recreational

• pportunities and

services currently

• ffered in the City of

Port Colborne?

1% 13% 46% 33% 7%

1 = very unsatisfied 2 = unsatisfied 3 = somewhat satisfied 4 = satisfied 5 = very satisfied

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

Programming:

 What are the top three improvements or changes needed in recreational

programming?

Suggested Improvement Percentage of Respondents Reduced cost 40.5% More frequent offerings of programs 39.8% Improved marketing of programs 37.3% Greater variety 36.6% More convenient schedules 30.6% Enhanced/improved content 23.2% Other (please specify) 10.9% Need to accommodate more participants 10.6% No improvements/changes needed 9.2% Improved instruction/instructors 5.6%

Programming:

 34% of survey respondents indicated there

are not enough programs for teenagers Suggestions on how to engage teenagers included:

 Increase engagement with schools  Connect with teenagers via social media  Alternative location for youth programming

(Vale Center issues)

 Affordable/drop-in recreational activities

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

Programming:

 Adult programming too! 31% of survey

respondents indicated there are not enough programs for adults aged 19+

 Offer programs/courses after

work/weekends

 More fitness options  Open swim and ice times  Yoga  Adventure activities

WHAT IS MISSING, WHAT IS NEEDED?

Programming at YMCA:

 35% of survey respondents are

members

 Of those who are not members,

66% indicated this is because of high membership fees; 21% indicated inconvenient schedules

 Demand for flexible/customized

membership structure (particularly for aquatic facilities)

A FRAMEWORK FOR RECREATION IN CANADA – PATHWAYS TO WELLBEING

PARKS & RECREATION MASTER PLAN - RECOMMENDATIONS

Goal #1: Active Living Trails

 Review and update by-laws to reduce conflicts with trail users (walkers, cyclists,

ATVs/dirt bikes, equestrian) to increase use of existing and future trails Improve Wayfinding Signage

 Improve connectivity between parks and recreation amenities through consistent

branding of parks and trails Goal #2: Inclusion & Access Affordability

 Consider tiered/flexible user fees for recreational programming

PARKS & RECREATION MASTER PLAN - RECOMMENDATIONS

Goal #3: Connecting People & Nature Nickel Beach

 Improve access and parking at Nickel Beach  Pursue land acquisition, where possible  Renegotiate contract with Vale and proceed with improvements such as

washroom facilities, concession stand, etc.

 Consider development of Master Plan for Nickel Beach to guide future decision-

making

PARKS & RECREATION MASTER PLAN - RECOMMENDATIONS

Goal #4: Supportive Environments Sugarloaf Harbour Marina

 Explore opportunities to expand boat storage (utilize City-owned lands)  Develop strategy to implement growth planning (increase slip numbers, dredging etc.) and reinvestment

plan for aging infrastructure

Canal Days

 Review/re-position event to ensure continued sustainability (Focused on marine heritage)

Develop Partnership Framework

 Develop and implement a partnership framework to assess potential for beneficial partnerships (to benefit

all parties involved)

Provide Recreational Organization Networking Opportunities

 Host annual roundtable discussions on how to improve promotion of recreational organizations/leagues

and increase active living in Port Colborne

PARKS & RECREATION MASTER PLAN - RECOMMENDATIONS

Goal #5: Recreation Capacity Roselawn Centre for the Arts

 Actively pursue partnership with private groups (e.g. arts/culture/theatre group) to

administer programming

Vale Centre for Health and Wellness

 Relocate/co-locate City staff offices such that City presence is visible at entrance of

VHWC

Optimization of City-owned facilities

 Identify opportunities to efficiently use underutilized community spaces

Programming

 Explore opportunities to increase programming offerings in waterfront activities (learn to sail,

paddle boarding, fishing, etc.)

NEXT STEPS

• 1. Prepare draft Master Plan report and recommendations

informed by stakeholder feedback and staff/Council input (May-June)

• 2. Release draft for public review and comment (May-June)
• 3. Revise Master Plan and recommendations based on

community feedback (June)

• 4. Release final Master Plan and report to Council (June-July)

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? DID WE MISS ANYTHING?

ONLINE SURVEY DRAW

Prize #1: $50 credit towards City of Port Colborne PD Day Program (Active Camps) Prize #2: Two VIP Tickets to “Motown Gold” at the Roselawn Centre for the Arts (September 27, 2019) Prize #3: Three-month membership at the YMCA

Thank you for your participation and feedback throughout this process! If you have any additional feedback, please submit it on the comment sheets, or send it to: Pierre Chauvin / Julie Welch MHBC Planning pchauvin@mhbcplan.com jwelch@mhbcplan.com 519-576-3650