Quality of Life Master Plan Unveiled
Amy Gregson – Times Reporter
The Town of Strathmore now has a suggested plan in regards to cultural and recreational activities after the Quality of Life Master Plan was presented at an open house Jan. 19.
The open house was attended by 35 people who received information on what has been prioritized by stakeholders as the top ten indoor and outdoor needs in town.
“It’s tough to know exactly where to go and with the public support that we’ve been receiving. It’s good to have an idea where the citizens of Strathmore want to go as well,” said councilor Brad Walls.
“It’s good to have a master document saying this is where this fits into this kind of time frame.”
RC Strategies out of Edmonton wrote up the Quality of Life Master Plan after feedback was received from residents, businesses and organizations, and other research was done in town.
“We look at it from a completely holistic point of view and made sure one specific interest or one piece of the puzzle, either the student, household, group survey or any of the research, doesn’t have more weight from the other,” said Michael Roma from RC Strategies.
Roma said getting the data is probably the hardest part, but the residents of Strathmore returned more than 950 surveys, which is the most Roma has ever seen.
He said based on the amount of surveys received they are very comfortable with the list of priorities they have come up with.
Even though the plan is very detailed with dates and costs, it is presented as information only, and what is named in the plan will not necessarily happen.
“It just means in an ideal world if we weren’t worried about financial resources or timing this is how we would go about improving, sustaining what we have and building new things,” said Roma.
He said the Master Plan could be used as a resource for decision making when ideas are brought forward such as whether to pave a trail or build a baseball diamond.
However, Roma said before council should even make a decision, first a feasibility study should be completed to look at the specific costs and impacts it could have on the community.
He said that level of detail couldn’t be completed on a Quality of Life Master Plan because it would take years to complete.
RC Strategies often compile different types of master plans for different communities throughout Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan.
Roma said it helps them look at trends and comparatives, and to see what has and hasn’t worked in other communities when completing each plan.
He said they may alter the document before presenting it to Town Council in early February, but were very comfortable with what they came up with.