County planning for future of recreation and culture

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Wheatland County is looking to its future by developing a 10-year master plan for recreation and culture – and wants its residents to share its vision.
Wheatland County provides its residents with open spaces and parks, cultural settings such as community halls and libraries, and recreational facilities such as hockey arenas and soccer fields. To provide a framework to manage and develop these assets and associated programming for the next 10 years, the county is currently developing an Open Space, Recreation, and Culture Master Plan.
According to Amber Link, Wheatland County Reeve, providing high-quality recreational and cultural opportunities for residents is a focus of the county.
“Our public spaces – in times when we are not supposed to be socially distancing – bring people together,” said Link. “They also incentivize our tourism and our economic development, which are top priorities for our council.”
Wheatland County is conducting an online survey until April 5 to “open up constructive dialogue with our rate payers,” said Link.
The survey, available on the county website, asks residents to describe how they currently use county recreational and cultural facilities, and what additional improvements they would like to see in the future.
Participating in the survey provides residents an opportunity to take ownership in the county, said Link.
“It allows our council and administration to learn about the needs and wants of our residents,” she said. “We will be able to put those ideas into action.”
The county’s engagement strategy originally included in-person events such as town halls, round table coffee shop talks and engaging county youth, but the unprecedented times presented by the COVID-19 pandemic has moved outreach online for the time being, said Link.
“We’re hoping to engage in some of those more traditional as well as some unique in-person ways once some of these public health measures are no longer required,” she said.
Multi-use pathways have been one point of emphasis for residents discussing recreation, said Link.
“When I heard from residents, especially in some of our bigger hamlets, that’s a high priority that they have identified,” she said. “I know the Carseland community is working on some initiatives, and I’ve had some preliminary conservation with some of my community members in Gleichen as well.”
The plan will help ensure public spaces are kept to a high-quality standard and the county is making optimal use of places such as Eagle Lake, said Link.
“Eagle Lake is absolutely a huge asset for the county,” said Link. “We will be exploring how we can utilize that asset in the best way for our rate payers.”