Open House being held for feedback on Master Plan
amy gregson – Times Reporter
The results are in for the Quality of Life Master Plan Survey and the Town of Strathmore wants your feedback once again.
An open house will be held Jan. 19 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Civic Centre to reveal the results from a questionnaire that was sent out to all residents last year to see what they want added in Strathmore in the years to come.
“We all think we know what everybody else needs, but a lot of times it’s not what people want,” said Carole Engel, director of community services.
The Master Plan will ultimately include recommendations to leisure, cultural and recreation facilities, amenities and programs throughout Strathmore. It will be used by councilors to plan and budget in the future.
The questionnaire sent out to residents had questions like how much they use facilities in Strathmore, satisfaction with different amenities, what future development projects residents want to see and if they have to leave Strathmore for leisure, cultural or recreation pursuits.
A separate questionnaire was sent out to organizations to see what their needs are, what additional amenities their organization could benefit from and the biggest challenge their organizations faces.
The feedback from the questionnaire was “fabulous” said Engel, as the town received 953 questionnaires back from residents and organizations.
“It’s very apparent how important it is to our community.”
The open house will have the information received from the questionnaires in bulk form. The town is looking for feedback from residents about the results.
“We want to hear from people like ‘Wow, I’m surprised,’ or ‘That’s awesome. I agree. Those are the things we need in our future,’” said Engel.
The town hired RC Strategies out of Edmonton to conduct the survey and deliver the results. They will be on hand along with the Quality of Life Master Plan committee and representatives from the town.
Engel said they are presenting it at an open house with a drop-in format so that if there is confusion or questions the consulting firm can answer the questions.