The Town of LaSalle has officially approved their Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan.
Council approved the final version of the plan earlier this week, which outlines the community's long-term vision for parks, recreational amenities, cultural services, and public spaces.
While the plan doesn't request any funding at this time, the plan is intended to be used to help guide decision making, and guide priorities for future investments over the next five years, with a long-term outlook towards 2045.
Short term goals identified within the plan between 2026 and 2031 include expanding the Vollmer Complex by adding a gymnasium, an enlarged fitness centre, a walking track, and multi-purpose program room.
Medium term goals from 2032 to 2037 included adding a rectangular 25-metre indoor pool at the Vollmer, as well as a third ice pad, and enhancements to the existing pool.
Medium to long-term goals from 2038 to 2045 included building an indoor community space in the Howard Bouffard area, which could include a library, activity rooms, covered outdoor spaces, a community park, and more.
Councillor Mark Carrick says the town can now look for other funding opportunities to make these improvements a reality.
"Maybe perhaps there's an opportunity here down the road to look at public-private partnership grant funding to make sure that a lot of this good stuff can be implemented, and not just brought up every budget session. I think overall it's necessary to move stuff forward, but at the same time we have to explore other opportunities."
Councillor Anita Riccio-Spagnuolo says it's nice to see what the residents want in the future.
"I also like the amenities that you have offered here from public consultation that are coming to us that are requesting the basketball courts, the new skate pad, and all that. And again, I know that it's all depending on funding, and money, but I think that this is a nice framework."
Mayor Crystal Meloche says while some of the improvements are quite expensive, the plan will help guide the town in the right direction.
"That's the point is to guide us into the future so we know what to do. We may see in five years we need to review it, maybe our population has changed, maybe hockey has fallen down to the wayside a little bit, and maybe it's something else. But this is supposed to guide us into the future and I think it's really important to have this document."
The town will review the plan every five years to ensure that recommendations align with population growth and community needs.
Through public consultation, requests were made from residents for an indoor pool, a gym, pickleball courts, indoor and outdoor sports fields, basketball courts, a new ice pad, among more.
The last time the Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan was updated was 2015.