锘縑iew Royal residents are invited to the Town Hall next Wednesday (April 13) to check out the proposed parks master plan, which details priorities for park acquisition and improvements of existing parks over the next 20 years.
The recommendations, ranging from improved water access to Portage Inlet and Esquimalt Harbour, to replacing playground equipment and completing trail connections, were based on feedback received from the public in a variety of settings. Those included an online questionnaire, plus a World Caf茅 workshop and open house event on Feb. 3 during which ideas were exchanged and suggestions made.
Coun. John Rogers, who co-chairs the TownB次元官网网址檚 parks advisory committee, says the feedback received so far has been positive. But heB次元官网网址檚 also been surprised by some of the reaction to information presented by Town staffers.
B次元官网网址淲hat was really interesting with some of the folks who were there, was really how unaware they were of the parks that exist in their community,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淥ne of the things weB次元官网网址檝e got to do more of is to let people know about what things exist in their municipality.B次元官网网址�
His hope for the upcoming open house is that planners get a final sense of how residents feel about the overall direction the Town would like to take. After that, he says, the committee will go through the plan B次元官网网址渓ine by lineB次元官网网址� and group the recommendations into three general categories: playground replacement, trail development connecting communities, and boat access into the two main bodies of water surrounding the municipality.
Council has already supported the idea of an access ramp on Shoreline Drive adjacent to the middle school, he says. It will be a multi-purpose ramp, designed for both recreational boaters, students in the schoolB次元官网网址檚 canoe club, and emergency services.
B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 believe itB次元官网网址檚 been 25 years where weB次元官网网址檝e never had an access ramp where the fire department could get a zodiac in there quickly.B次元官网网址� Fire Chief Paul Hurst has approved the plan as being appropriate for the departmentB次元官网网址檚 needs, Rogers says.
In all, he says, there are six locations around the municipality that could be considered for improved community water access. One of those is Portage Linear Park, a long strip of green space that runs parallel to the Trans Canada Highway and was a former rest stop and boat launch prior to the remodelling of the TCH.
Lindsay Chase, the TownB次元官网网址檚 director of development services, said designing a long-term parks plan requires looking at public use of major assets such as View Royal Centennial and Portage parks, and smaller areas of green space.
B次元官网网址淥ur parks need to meet a huge variety of needs, from people who are interested in having a ball game or playing tennis, to those little pockets of tranquility in our community that provide so much to people who want to reconnect with nature.B次元官网网址�
The April 13 open house runs from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at the Town Hall, 45 View Royal Ave. For more information visit .
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
