The discussion at the trails and natural environment table was in full swing.
"It's worth the district funding the trails," one man pitched in.
"We need to support grassroots initiatives," a woman added.
More than 150 people filled Brennan Park Recreation Centre's foyer on March 28 to talk about how they would like to see sports, arts and culture incorporated into the District of Squamish's future. The open house was a part of an ongoing process to collect information and input for the municipality's Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
The project, which will provide direction for managing and developing parks and rec facilities, was initiated in February when the district hired consultants Lees and Associates. As a part of gathering Squamish residents' sports thoughts, a telephone survey is being conducted in March and April. An online survey is available at http://squamish.ca/news/new-parks-and-recreation-survey until April 23.
"We will have three public open houses in total," said David Gibbon, the project manager from Lees and Associates, during a presentation to council on March 27.
Major recreation issues that will be addressed include examining whether there is a sufficient supply of playing fields, parks and recreation facilities. The plan will also explore funding, ownership and management of sporting assets.
The plan will give a brief overview of arts and culture, said Erik Lees, principal for the consulting firm.
"We are not going to be looking into the details of looking into whether or not Squamish needs a theatre or some other cultural facility," he said.
Councillors Bryan Raiser, Patricia Hientzman and Doug Race said it was the first time they had heard this area was being explored. Raiser questioned whether it would do a disservice to Squamish's arts and culture, as both areas were being tagged onto the park and rec study.
Cultural events are woven in with parks and recreation, answered Lees and Associates employee Cathy Matheson, the former manager of cultural affairs and partnerships for the District of West Vancouver.
"We came at this opportunity in a very integrated fashion," she said. "It should answer some high-level questions."
This month Lees and Associates is conducting interviews with parks and recreation stakeholders. A steering committee also aims to discuss the feedback received and next steps in drafting the plan.
