The City of Maple Ridge is looking for public feedback as it develops a new Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan to set priorities for the next decade.
The city bills it a road map for services, programs, capital funding and infrastructure, that will offer council and staff a point of reference to inform decisions.
“Access to parks, recreation and culture are an integral part of a vibrant and thriving community,” said Mayor Mike Morden. “We have seen significant increased use throughout the pandemic with many reporting valuable benefits. The PRC Master Plan seeks to take stock of what we have, what people enjoy the most, as well what gaps we have yet to fill.
“Council is committed to meeting the needs of a complete community right here at home and would really appreciate your feedback so we might understand what we need to do to build best in class for all.”
The plan, intended to establish future priority projects and focus areas for the next 10-plus years, will succeed the 2010 plan – which had been created under the joint recreation model between the city in partnership with the City of Pitt Meadows.
The two cities agreed to dissolve the partnership in 2015, as Pitt Meadows councillors disagreed with proposed spending on capital infrastructure in Maple Ridge.
READ ALSO: Big spending behind parks agreement break-up
The new master plan is being drafted in the context of large population growth in Maple Ridge. There are now 94,000 people in the community, expected to grow to 150,000 by 2050. The new plan is intended to help manage the impact this growth will have on parks, recreation, services, infrastructure and arts/culture programs.
The development of the plan will involve extensive community engagement using a variety of methods with most of the engagement occurring through spring and summer. When a draft plan is available, further community engagement will be sought.
Opportunities for engagement will include surveys, discussion sessions, online crowd sourcing, in-person sounding boards and more.
The first opportunity to provide feedback on the plan is through a resident survey. Postcards with a QR code and instructions have been mailed, and residents should receive them soon. It is also accessible through the city website, and a printed copy of the QR code is available at city hall and the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre.
The survey will be available until June 5.
For access to the resident survey, information on the process and plan updates, visit mapleridge.ca/prcmasterplan. To ask questions, contact Danielle Pope, director of recreation and community engagement at dapope@mapleridge.ca.
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