Residents got a detailed outline of the survey results of the MD of Bonnyville’s outdoor recreation park and what it could look like.
After presenting the information to council in April, Stephen Slawuta, partner with RC Strategies + PERC, the company hired to conduct a feasibility study on the project, shared the information with residents during an open house on Monday, May 6.
The event, which was hosted at the Shaw House, informed attendees of the preliminary site concept that was designed using the results of the consultation process.
”The reason we wanted to have this opportunity is so that people can provide us with (more) good, honest feedback,” Slawuta said, adding they will use the suggestions in their next steps in refining the plan before providing an analysis of how much operating the park could cost if the MD decides to move forward with the project.
In order to get input from the public, RC Strategies + PERC sent out surveys to residents in March. The coded version had 427 responders, while 229 people filled out the non-coded option. Feedback from five stakeholder meetings and a previous open house were also considered.
In the findings of how in favour those surveyed would be for an outdoor recreation park, 38 per cent were supportive of an outdoor recreation park located within the MD, while 28 per cent somewhat approved of the idea, another 28 per cent didn’t want to see it happen, and only six per cent were unsure.
MD resident Rene Champagne described the concept as “preliminary,” noting no location has been confirmed at this point.
”If you’re going to start a project, you would start with the site. You have a site, then you’re going to develop. I mean, it’s nice to talk about all these plans, but if you don’t have a site picked, it’s all up in the air.”
The municipality left their options open when it comes to a location in order to choose the best spot for what they’re building, which would require roughly 65 acres of land.
A multi-stage approach is being taken to assist in cutting down on the costs of construction. The first phase is predicted to cost roughly $16.7-million, while the second is about $2.5-million, and the final stage of the project is estimated at just over $4.72-million. A phased method would also leave room for growth as demands from the community change over the years.
”You don’t know what your needs are going to necessarily be 15 years out, and when you develop a site like this... you want this site to be valid and usable by residents and relevant for 50 years,” explained Slawuta. “Phasing allows you to have a bit more flexibility so down the road if a new activity comes into play, or something emerges that you didn’t know about right now, you have a bit of flexibility to adjust.”
MD Reeve Greg Sawchuk stressed the importance of getting feedback from those who would utilize the facility.
”We wanted to find out what residents were interested in,” he added.
One component respondents want to see is a variety of recreational opportunities, such as camping areas and walking trails.
”Generally, from residents, we heard that the site needs to have some other (options), like playgrounds would be another thing... more general recreation amenities, so really anybody can use the site even if they’re not part of a sports team,” detailed Slawuta.
The first phase of the design includes loop trails, a barbecue area, and 61 camping sites. Along with the addition of baseball and softball diamonds, rectangular fields for sports such as soccer and lacrosse, and pickleball courts.
”I think it’s great,” noted attendee Estelle Dechaine, an avid pickleball player. “I think recreation is very important, because there needs to be more things for our youth and adults.”
In order to ensure the project reflects what residents want, the municipality will discuss it further before concrete plans are made.
Sawchuk explained, “We’ll have to refer back to our big recreation survey that we did, and there was a lot of people that came back... the number one item for indoor was, obviously, the pool and outdoor was the outdoor recreation spaces that had to do with lakes, the trails, and things like that. We’ll have to see how this falls in line with our priorities and make a decision from there.”
