The Town of Essex wants to hear from the public as it works to improve, protect and expand its network of parks, facilities and recreational services.
The Town is preparing a Community Services Master Plan, also know as the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and public feedback is needed to inform the review of the existing system and guide recommendations and next steps.
The Master Plan will provide both a long-term vision for the Town's park system, and specific policies and standards to direct day-to-day decisions to meet the needs of the Town's existing and future residents and visitors.
Essex mayor, Sherry Bondy, says council wants to hear back from residents through this forum.
"Out on the street, there are so many ideas out there that our community members have but unless they send it in in this format, it may not get included," she says. "This is the time. These plans only come around once every 10 to 15 years so public feedback is paramount for us having a good plan for our community services going forward."
She says having the public feedback is critical to hearing what residents want in their communities.
"Maybe it's a Frisbee park, or a dog park that people want, or more trails. This is the time that we can have a comprehensive public consultation that will lay the road map for the wishes of the community going forward, and then council can put the pen to paper and budget for the wishes of the community," she says.
Bondy also wants to see what options are available beyond what just the Town can do.
"Looking at partnerships, and one thing I'd like to see in our Parks and Rec. Master Plan is can we partner with outside agencies to share costs? And it also gets projects 'shovel ready' in case grants come along. You know, that's some of the ways that we get our amenities done is through provincial or federal grants, so the more feedback, the better," she adds.
Residents are asked to share their feedback on the existing parks and recreation system by completing an online survey by Jan. 30, 2023.
The Master Plan process is anticipated to be complete by the end of April 2023.