Altona has partnered with the Urban Systems consulting agency to develop a plan for the community’s needs and wants when it comes to recreation and transportation.
The agency hosted an open house at the Rhineland Pioneer Centre last week to explain the purpose, process, and timeline of their development of Altona’s Recreation & Active Transportation Master Plan. The event also gave residents the chance to share their thoughts on what’s needed.
“It’s important for residents to share their ideas, since this plan will determine what the next 10-15 years of recreation and active transportation will look like for Altona,” said recreation manager Eric Hildebrand. “Everybody has their own opinion on what the community needs, and your input is important.”
An advisory committee has been established to handle the steps after the initial information-gathering period. The committee is composed of various community stakeholders, including members of local sports organizations, who will work alongside some of the town managers that are involved in the project.
The committee will take the information from Urban Systems (including the results of an online survey) and decide on which projects Altona will undertake in the years ahead.
On hand for the open house was Gord Sawatzky, who runs various pickleball programs in town in partnership with the rec. department.
“We get about 70 participants in each session through the kid’s program. We also run programs for seniors and have a bunch of 20- or 30-year-olds who play in the evening. So it’s starting to cross many age groups. We are seeing a need for it. It’s popularity is exploding in every community.”
Sawatzky’s issue with the Pioneer Centre is that the ceiling is too low for pickleball. And because it’s a rental space, other things take priority.
“We have to get out in November because it’s Christmas banquet season, or for weddings and socials. We also use the curling rink but that closes in spring. Then we use the tennis courts, but only when it’s not windy, since the ball is too light.”
His dream is to expand the program in an indoor, year-round facility, which would also work well for other sports.
“We’ve got a great active group, so we’d like to keep it going. It’s nice to see these options are being considered.”
Lana Reimer works as a landscape artist for Urban Systems and will help to create a guiding document that will steer the community’s recreation plans for the next two decades.
“It will recognize all ages, abilities and prioritize recreation opportunities in the community,” she says.
“We tend to work in smaller communities, such as Steinbach, Winkler, Neepawa, Dauphin, Brandon and Selkirk. So this is kind of a sweet spot. We’re thrilled about the response to our event. We have an online survey and interactive map and we already had over 200 respondents.”
Reimer says the open house is their first round of engagement where they will try to assess gaps, opportunities, and concerns before they report back to the Town.
“We do an analysis with the survey, develop a network and prioritize and make recommendations. The system has proven itself in the past, and we’re here to facilitate and engage and bring what people are saying to life.”
While it’s hard to grant every wish, she says it’s good to prioritize and come up with a long-term plan.
“Everybody is very passionate about what they want, and they’ve proven the need in many cases. There’s a lot of spirit and sweat equity that goes into building these special places. We’re really excited to work with Altona.”
Urban Systems is aiming to have the draft for Altona’s recreation plan ready for the beginning of September, with the final document completed by the end of November.
To participate, follow Urban Systems’ web page, linked from altona.ca, where you’ll find a story map and regular updates.
The online survey is open until June 28.
