The survey results are in, and Altona residents have shared their vision for the community’s recreational future.
The survey and open house were conducted this summer by professional consulting agency Urban Systems, which has partnered with Altona to develop a master plan for the community’s wishes concerning future recreation and transportation of the town.
The initial draft outlines three guiding principles—equity, inclusion and access, climate resiliency and sustainability, and health and wellness—along with recommendations for shaping the future of recreation decision making.
These recommendations include improving safety and accessibility in Altona’s active transportation, upgrades to recreation facilities, the creation of new outdoor multi-use facilities and creating a new indoor multi-use facility, a permanent dog park, additional leisure programming with a focus on arts and culture, expanding the existing campground, skate park, and playgrounds to include more amenities, exploring opportunities for additional funding, and land use rezoning of agricultural land within Altona’s municipal boundaries.
Recreation manager Eric Hildebrand says the whole process is part of a study to explore what the community already offers and areas where they could expand or improve.
“Urban Systems reviewed all the information from Round 1, and we held a second community engagement event this month with a second survey which concluded this week. We’ve gleaned and created a clearer focus on what Altona residents are looking for.”
Hildebrand says it’s interesting to see what came out of the first round.
“They’re seeing a desire for accessible, dedicated recreational facilities for sports beyond baseball and hockey, such as soccer, softball, pickleball and cricket.”
The first survey also indicated that the most popular facilities in the community are the Centennial Park, the walking trails, the Millennium Exhibition Centre (MEC), and the Buffalo Creek Nature Park.
The survey also indicated that walking and running along the trails was the most frequent activity, followed by team sports, swimming, and cycling.
“We’re fortunate in Altona that we’ve had some of these facilities in place for years,” Hildebrand said. “We’ve embarked on some substantial projects which put us in a great place, even today. Now we’re making sure that the current council has some guidance for recreation moving forward.”
Along with the obvious benefits to personal well-being, Hildebrand says a good variety of recreational options in the community creates more access to opportunities, programming, and events which draw more people to the community.
“There’s always economic spin-offs with that, as well.”
Moving forward, Hildebrand says the second round of the survey focused on priorities and recommendations noted in the first draft.
“We’re going to take the information we gathered from round one and narrow it down even more,” he said. “We’ve asked the community to provide their thoughts and ideas.
“We’re beyond the halfway point where we felt this entire exercise would take us,” Hildebrand said. “After the survey results are finalized and tabulated, an in-person review of the open house and survey will take place in the next few months with Urban Systems. Ultimately, Urban Systems will glean through everything, narrow it down and present it to council.
“All this feedback is going to be used to refine and finalize a master plan, and they must decide what to do moving forward. At least now, they’ll have a starting point.”
