Lacombe City council has approved the Recreation and Culture Master Plan update, following a 'refresh engagement process' involving user groups, local youth, and the community.
This update utilizes the original master plan structure to forecast the community's recreation and culture priority needs, according to a release.
Feedback was collected via three different surveys – community-wide, user groups and youth – to provide additional insight into the preferences of each group. A
final summary synthesizes those surveys into one comprehensive list.
"The Recreation and Culture Master Plan has been critical to our community's enviable quality of life since it was initially adopted in 2013," Mayor Grant Creasey said.
"This refresh will allow us to continue to develop the programming and services most important to our residents, allowing our community to be a hub for recreation and culture going forward."
The Recreation and Culture Master Plan will help inform City of Lacombe and community partner investment in recreation and culture facilities. This may be capital construction, Community Builder Partnership Fund funding, or direct municipal programming.
Part of the refresh included a review of the 2013 Master Plan Strategies and
framework for five new strategies:
- programming focus areas as identified through the updated survey
- improved marketing and promotions
- data and analytics used more often to aid and justify decisions
- revisiting fee setting and space allocation policies
- asset management practices to manage facilities and municipal funds effectively
Meanwhile, the initial plan has proven helpful in spurring positive recreation and cultural growth with the following projects completed since 2013:
- Lacombe Performing Arts Centre
- the Echo stage at the Lacombe Memorial Centre
- Michener House Museum improvements
- New public art and murals
- five new or replaced playgrounds
- new and enhanced trails
- arena enhancements
- pool upgrades
- new community gardens
- northwest soccer fields
- outdoor fitness equipment
- the Vesta Fish and Fetch Dog Park
- an award-winning accessible dock at Len Thompson Fish Pond
