DUNBAR & ASSOCIATES: ARNPRIOR RECREATION MASTER PLAN Draft Community Workshop Meeting: June 26, 2014 Nick Smith Centre On Thursday, June 26, 2014 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, Dunbar & Associates hosted a Community Workshop Meeting at the Nick Smith Community Centre. Approximately forty people attended and were introduced to the Arnprior Recreation Master Plan process, its purpose and outcomes. The Consultant s presentation set the context for the meeting and discussion group format that focused on idea generation about the current and future recreation needs for Arnprior residents. The following notes summarize the table group discussions. Additional comments from individuals are noted in section 5. 1. Warm Up Discussion A word and/or phrase to describe parks, facilities and recreation in Arnprior today is Some Strengths: Diamond in the rough, has potential Outstanding, World class Unique Very good Variety; well balanced; good cross section Green space; mature parks Family activities Communities in Bloom awesome Well located Community oriented; community pride; positive impact on community Some Drawbacks Under sized Turmoil Disconnected Under-utilized Antiquated; lack lustre; dated; inadequate Sustainability Broad but lacks focus Marina poorly organized and unattractive
Some Things That are Lacking Not enough spontaneous, pick-up type group activities Lacking bicycle trails Little for active seniors/some sports and activities are expensive for those in their golden years Not enough funding; costly Lacks sustainability not enough participation to maintain house leagues (e.g. soccer, baseball) Lacking street level spaces for recreation activities kids to adults Under-used water recreation No theatre space for dance, music, performances; need a decent concert hall/theatre space Enhancement Social responsibilities Tennis courts unmaintained Lack of promotion; festivals not promoted; lack of newspaper promotion Lack beautification policy downtown; farmer s market moved away Lack of lighting 2. Strengths Discussion What I/the community likes about parks, facilities and recreation today is Services and Programs Services are in close proximity and accessible; I can do what I want to do. Open to/caters to all age groups There is variety, diversification and it is growing; more than just sports Free access to facilities Great support for programs; full support for Special Olympics programs Good costing Recreation department is approachable Safe High quality of events (e.g. Clara s Big Ride, World hockey, broomball); Canada Day fireworks better than Ottawa; economic impact of large events Parks and Green Space Lots of green space; water frontage Amazing nature trails and parks; Robert Simpson Park Two beautiful rivers Trail improvements
Spectacular weir, falls and island Splendid flowers and flags; Communities in Bloom Band stand in park Sundays in the park Facilities Two great ice surfaces First class pool and aquatics Good ball diamonds Excellent library a treasure trove with wonderful staff Curling Club Nice splash pad Other Strengths Leadership Lots of people excited about the arts Proximity to Ottawa O Brien theatre is cool, but just for movies Potential Arnprior Recreation Guide has good contact list Out-of-town support Community involvement Social impact on youth 3. Future Discussion Imagine it is the year 2024. Arnprior Recreation has changed in some important ways to meet the needs of residents. Specific parks, facilities and recreation-based activities (e.g. youth lacrosse, pleasure skating, ballroom dancing, walking indoors, attending festivals) that are going on ten years from now are Facilities and Fields There are soccer fields by the ball diamonds There is a multi-use indoor facility perhaps dome-like a centralized rec complex that houses Town Hall, Recreation Dept., etc. meets performing arts needs modern and updated with big gym, pool, exercise rooms The Nick Smith facility is enhanced There is a snow board park/skateboard park Arnprior has more/upgraded banquet facilities The Recreation Dept. has an Admin area There are multiple ice surface services (hockey, skating, curling)
There is a pickle ball court There are outdoor rinks and outdoor pool There is an upper deck track for running, walking There is a multi-use Seniors Centre Arnprior has a world class indoor and outdoor lawn bowling facility, complete with restaurant and bar and attracts bowlers from all over Ontario and Canada Partnerships Arnprior recreation is partnered with more groups like the Agricultural Society to enhance fairgrounds facilities and to make better use of public fairground lands Arnprior recreation is partnered with school boards and townships for better facility use and development Agreements are in place between Town, School Boards, Private to share, lease, cross-use facilities Enhanced Waterfront There is a larger marina with facilities The environmental impact from recreation facilities (e.g. marina) is addressed There is a wharf or pier at Robert Simpson Park (Madawaska River) to help mitigate pollution; Swimming and boating areas like Norway Bay There is a sailing/canoe/kayak club at Robert Simpson Park Trails There are paved bicycle paths, extensive bike trails; bike lanes Trestles and railway rights of way are used to connect all our parks and trails ATVs and snowmobiles use the old CN Rail A road is added, with a trail on the path at waterfront for seniors Riverwalk is completed Theatre Arnprior has a first class theatre for the performing arts It may be an indoor theatre/dancehall Seats 300-500 people to enjoy plays, performances, choirs, bands, recitals, orchestras It has storage for many groups and rehearsal space Arnprior has an ampitheatre
Parks There are good cemeteries Arnprior has a fenced dog park Edey St. Park is developed and used The GROVE is safe, saved and enlarged Programs and Events There may be fewer kids around so programs are focussed on seniors activities and facilities; However, there may be more families so a mix of programs for young and old to attract taxpayers and residents There are year round community functions The great sports programs continue There are more programs, activities and accessibility for Seniors Arnprior residents are aware of and using the nearby (6 miles) lawn bowling greens at Galetta (ages 9-90) Supports and Services There is more wheelchair access to waterfront trails There are mare ramps and accessibility around town and accessible Town Hall/Municipal offices There is good, visible signage There is lots of parking There are better train/rail connections to Ottawa 4. Priorities Discussion My top 1 3 priorities for future recreation services are Upgrade Recreation complex and facilities and add a new area for administration of Recreation programs Develop trails for walking, cycling, hiking Develop more green space, parks, waterfront and marina Ensure accessibility Provide a Performing Arts Theatre with 300-500 seat capacity Provide a lawn bowling facility Provide a Senior Centre Provide a Dog park
5. Individual Comment My additional comments for consideration by Dunbar and Associates Recreation Consultants are Note: There are differences of opinion in terms of facilities and the theatre. For example, some believe that there is no need for new, multi-purpose facilities, but rather upgrades to the Nick Smith Centre. Others think that Arnprior needs both upgrades to Nick Smith Centre as well as a new multi-purpose facility. Still others would like to see a multi-purpose recreational complex that would house the Town Hall, Recreation Department, theatre, sports facilities, etc. In terms of the Theatre, some see it as a stand-alone facility, but others think it could be incorporated into a multi-purpose venue. Trails (19) Once in a lifetime opportunity to utilize recently vacated rail rights of way to build an interconnected trail system throughout Town, County, Province a low hanging fruit with immense pay back; would make cycling safe Connect walking and biking access paths around town integrated trails and bike paths including use of rails and trestles a system connecting residential areas to each other and downtown upgrade trails and maintain better ski trails paved or asphalt trails in town Riverwalk Connect to parks Theatre (19) Quality sit-down theatre for performing arts 300-500 seats Theatre for all arts groups and connected with Town Hall etc. Multi-purpose including conference facilities, storage A multipurpose room cannot be a theatre sight lines and acoustics Ampitheatre (2) Facilities Invest in current facilities and keep in good repair; don t need brand new ones Expand and upgrade Nick Smith Centre: (8) consolidate municipal offices at Nick Smith Centre arts, plays, gymnasium etc. attach dome for soccer, football, golf
more programs Have proper admin facility for Parks and Rec Tennis courts Upgrade sports/soccer fields Build a Multi-Sport Complex multi-use for all ages (11) Mega sports complex multiuse ice surface, gym, lawn bowling, racquet sports, swimming, skating, arts, darts, bridge, basketball, walking track, etc.; all aspects including theatre; interchangeable uses indoor sports facility (not ice sports) shared building/use of facilities dome Lawn bowling facilities (4) indoor and outdoor as part of larger facility Senior Centre (5) with senior activities Parks Fenced dog park with water facility (4) maybe old railway bed along riverside below dam Renovate exercise bars in Hydro Park Use Edey St. green space Outdoor pool at Robert Simpson Park Marina and Waterfront Development Marina (10) full service canoe, sail and yacht club, kayak, boathouse restaurant Develop and promote waterfront sports pseudo pool (Norway Bay example) Waterfront development and green space (7) pier or wharf to separate boat traffic from swimmers activities for all ages beautification (hide water treatment plant) board walk along two rivers Advice for Doing Business Keep existing high level/attention (from Council and staff) for Arnprior recreation Better utilize other Arnprior facilities e.g. curling club, fairgrounds Refurbish downtown and involve the BIA in making Arnprior a destination Better communication and promotion of events (3) Put the T for Terrific back in Tourism
Ensure Recreation has a strong voice in development planning i.e. Subdivisions so trails can grow and connect Sustainable and cost conscious Better transportation to Ottawa Accessibility and Inclusiveness Provide/enhance accessibility to all public buildings (Town Hall, parks, wheel chair access) Trails upgraded to be accessible (5) Programs and activities available to all economic groups Create new programs to accommodate all ages Good location and open to everyone Support the needs of Special Olympic athletes If we are aging then accessibility, riverwalk, better trails, etc.; if we have more young families moving in, then bigger mall, more services, theatre; better jobs; look at attractiveness to new residents Evaluation Workshop participants evaluated their satisfaction with the meeting as good to excellent: Overall rating of workshop: 30% Excellent 70% Good Rating of Meeting Format: 30% Excellent 67% Good 3% Neutral Rating of Meeting Facilitator: 32% Excellent; 68% Good