City Council adopted the Parks, Trails, and Outdoor Recreation Master Plan — Imagine Our Parks 2020 at last Tuesday’s council meeting.
The plan is to offer a road map for planning, developing, protecting, enhancing and maintaining Williams Lake’s recreation resources — both present and future.
The plan is a living document that provides the City of Williams Lake and the Central Cariboo Joint Committee with direction and guidance in the management of parks, public use of these facilities, parks infrastructure and community investment in these areas over the next 10 years and beyond.
A series of public engagement sessions and public data gathering techniques, personal consultations with stakeholders and staff, inventory assessments, best practices, gap analysis, trend analysis and data analysis were used to develop the plan.
The City says preparation of the master plan has relied heavily on the input and participation of many individuals and organizations, residing in the city and in the surrounding Cariboo Regional District.
The City says the Official Community Plan provided important data in the formation of the Parks, Trails, and Outdoor Recreation Master Plan.
The plan lays out concepts and initiatives, priorities and strategies, as well as guidelines and classifications that, when adopted, is to help the City of Williams Lake manage, develop and grow its parks, trails and outdoor recreation opportunities.
The priorities and strategies outlined within it will become the guide for all future for capital and operational planning in the recreation area.
“Now that council has adopted the plan, staff will begin work with council, partners such as the Cariboo Regional District, and community stakeholders to start prioritizing projects and bring them forward for discussion and at budget deliberations,” says director of community services Geoff Paynton.
“Our beautiful parks and our world-class recreation opportunities are part of what makes Williams Lake great,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “This plan will set a direction to further enhance our park space and outdoor recreation for residents and visitors alike.”