Some people seem to believe that this destination sports complex is part of the Parks Master Plan. To clarify the issues relating to the Master Plan let’s look at the recommendations in the Executive Summary of the Plan.
The Master Plan provides a summary of existing conditions, an analysis of strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations for all components of the parks and recreation system. The following is a summary of the plan’s recommendations for the 10 year time frame. More detail on the recommendations and their proposed phasing and costs are included within the plan document.
• Develop park facilities at Swan Lake.
• Upgrade Polson Park.
• Secure the DND land, and continue to develop it as an athletic park softball tournament facility with appropriate support facilities.
• Develop Kin Park as a tournament-level field sports facility.
• Develop outdoor gathering spaces along with any new central recreation facilities.
• Renovate the City Hall/Museum/Library complex plaza.
• Renovate other urban parks.
• Encourage developers in the urban area to provide plazas.
• Develop facilities on land north of Kin Beach Park.
• Acquire additional properties around Paddlewheel Park.
• Develop new facilities on the expanded Paddlewheel Park.
• Upgrade and add new facilities to Kal Beach Park.
• Acquire 19 ha for new community and neighbourhood parks to meet current deficiency, and another 16 ha (10 year) to 34 ha (20 year) for new community and neighbourhood parks to meet future needs.
• Develop new community parks as development proceeds (assume 1 every 5 years).
• Develop new neighbourhood parks as development proceeds (assume 1 every 3 years).
• Upgrade existing parks.
• Adopt a regional approach to natural area acquisition.
• Acquire or otherwise protect large interconnected natural areas (target 40 ha per year).
• Protect Swan Lake.
• Designate motorized use areas.
• Support environmental groups.
• Enhance communication with brochure, Web site, interpretive signs.
• Encourage environmental protection in planning.
• Naturalize and restore existing parks.
• Develop a trail implementation plan.
• Acquire trail corridors (target 3 km per year).
• Develop trails along acquired corridors.
• Negotiate for trails through development parcels.
• Develop park and trail signage system and implement over time.
• Work with property owners on trail acquisition.
• Adopt a waterfront acquisition policy and implement it consistently with the interests of the entire GVPRD in mind.
• Ensure waterfront parks and trails are provided in new waterfront developments.
• Acquire waterfront land on the north shore of Okanagan Lake to serve population growth in this area.
• Acquire or otherwise protect the cattail beds in the Okanagan Landing area.
• Evaluate all waterfront road rights-of-way and sell where appropriate.
• Continue acquiring Lakeshore Drive lots.
• Acquire a new boat launch site if possible between Paddlewheel Park and Kin Beach.
• Discuss with B.C. Parks their plans and opportunities for enabling appropriate public access to Kal Lake Provincial Park beaches.
• Focus on minor fastball at Grahame Park.
• Work on partnership agreements with the School District to enable GVSC to renovate and maintain school fields to a higher standard.
• Upgrade or develop 2 to 6 additional fields in parks or at schools the next 10 years (depending on artificial turf at city-wide park or not).
• Support the development of an indoor soccer facility.
• Develop a new fieldhouse with washroom, concession and storage at any proposed major new field complex.
• Develop a package and staff support to encourage tournaments in the community.
• Support the user group in covering or at least adding lights to 4 tennis courts, preferably at Marshall Park.
• Add 4 new tennis courts to one new park within the next 10 years,at Marshall Park if possible.
• Add play areas to all new city-wide, community and neighbourhood parks.
• Upgrade play areas at a rate of 1 to 2 per year to maintain safety.
• Add hard courts to parks if desired by the community.
• Add one more youth park.
• Work with the community to determine locations and policies for dog management.
• Provide picnic facilities in 2 of the new parks.
• Provide 1 to 2 new spray parks, geographically distributed.
• Introduce play toys and large inflatables.
• Allocate an equipment replacement fund.
• Add a climbing wall at the aquatic centre.
• Provide “play leader” training for staff.
• Add retail services to the lobby.
• Add health, wellness, rehab services.
• Upgrade Lakeview outdoor pool.
• Consider alternative management for delivery of aquatic services (private operator or community society).
• Develop an Ice Allocation Policy.
• Review the management contract for arenas.
• Develop a leisure ice surface.
• Provide space for fitness, wellness and rehabilitation services by renovating the Auditorium.
• Provide accessible weight room equipment for seniors and people with disabilities in new facility.
• Consider partnerships with developers to include fitness, weight room and community spaces.
• Develop a clear policy on community use of school gyms.
• Provide capital funds to the School District to enlarge the size of elementary school gymnasiums.
• Provide capital funds to the School District to twin secondary school gyms.
• Develop a new multi-purpose community recreation facility.
• Partner with sport organizations to build permanent indoor facilities (groups to fund building construction costs).
• Renovate the auditorium to a fitness, health and wellness centre.
• Develop a partnership to build a gymnastics facility.
• Coordinate an Arts and Cultural Network.
• Develop a policy on art in public places.
• Develop a sponsorship package for sculptured art in key public locations.
• Consider supporting the relocation of the Vernon Public Art Gallery to the existing Vernon Public Library building, pending the library location decision.
• Develop a new policy and criteria for funding to community groups.
• Develop a Cultural Plan with arts, cultural and heritage organizations.
• Adopt a “community development” approach to recreation programming.
• Form an “Association of Community Planners” representing all community groups providing recreational programs.
• Provide satellite recreation programming in public schools.
• Develop a Community Diversity Action Plan which addresses diversity issues.
• Coordinate a workshop on cultural diversity for community groups.
• Maximize usage of Halina Senior’s Centre by offering intergenerational programs.
• Liaise with youth organizations and support the Teen Junction with their plans to build a new teen centre.
• Encourage social services agencies to provide recreation programs for people with disabilities.
• Investigate and consider a financial assistance program.
The following recommendations are provided for consideration beyond the 10-year time frame of the plan:
• Acquire land for a third major destination park.
• Acquire large properties to replace athletic facilities at DND and Marshall Park in the future if necessary.
• If the Civic Arena site is sold, require an urban park component as part of the site’s redevelopment.
• Consider road relocation around Kal Beach Park.
• Upgrade the aquatic centre.
• Provide a new community centre, including an aquatic and fitness/wellness facility.
• Provide additional ice surfaces to replace the Civic arena in 20 years.
• Plan to provide additional programs for seniors in the next ten to twenty years.
The implementation strategy focuses on the primary elements required to successfully implement the Plan, including:
• The role of partnerships, including a proposed community development approach to provision of parks and recreation services, the importance of marketing, and coordination among agencies,
• Needs for human resources as part of the new delivery model,
• Needs for new policies to support the Plan’s recommendations,
• Tools and recommendations for financial planning, and
• A phasing and capital plan for proposed parks and recreation facilities and services.
Recommendations
The Master Plan provides a summary of existing conditions, an analysis of strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations for all components of the parks and recreation system. The following is a summary of the plan’s recommendations for the 10 year time frame. More detail on the recommendations and their proposed phasing and costs are included within the plan document.
City-wide Parks
• Acquire 40 ha for a new major destination park in the north Vernon area to meet the current deficiency and future needs.• Develop park facilities at Swan Lake.
• Upgrade Polson Park.
• Secure the DND land, and continue to develop it as an athletic park softball tournament facility with appropriate support facilities.
• Develop Kin Park as a tournament-level field sports facility.
• Develop outdoor gathering spaces along with any new central recreation facilities.
• Renovate the City Hall/Museum/Library complex plaza.
• Renovate other urban parks.
• Encourage developers in the urban area to provide plazas.
• Develop facilities on land north of Kin Beach Park.
• Acquire additional properties around Paddlewheel Park.
• Develop new facilities on the expanded Paddlewheel Park.
• Upgrade and add new facilities to Kal Beach Park.
Community and Neighbourhood Parks
• Acquire 19 ha for new community and neighbourhood parks to meet current deficiency, and another 16 ha (10 year) to 34 ha (20 year) for new community and neighbourhood parks to meet future needs.
• Develop new community parks as development proceeds (assume 1 every 5 years).
• Develop new neighbourhood parks as development proceeds (assume 1 every 3 years).
• Upgrade existing parks.
Natural Areas
• Adopt a regional approach to natural area acquisition.
• Acquire or otherwise protect large interconnected natural areas (target 40 ha per year).
• Protect Swan Lake.
• Designate motorized use areas.
• Support environmental groups.
• Enhance communication with brochure, Web site, interpretive signs.
• Encourage environmental protection in planning.
• Naturalize and restore existing parks.
Trails
• Develop a trail implementation plan.
• Acquire trail corridors (target 3 km per year).
• Develop trails along acquired corridors.
• Negotiate for trails through development parcels.
• Develop park and trail signage system and implement over time.
• Work with property owners on trail acquisition.
Waterfront Access
• Adopt a waterfront acquisition policy and implement it consistently with the interests of the entire GVPRD in mind.
• Ensure waterfront parks and trails are provided in new waterfront developments.
• Acquire waterfront land on the north shore of Okanagan Lake to serve population growth in this area.
• Acquire or otherwise protect the cattail beds in the Okanagan Landing area.
• Evaluate all waterfront road rights-of-way and sell where appropriate.
• Continue acquiring Lakeshore Drive lots.
• Acquire a new boat launch site if possible between Paddlewheel Park and Kin Beach.
• Discuss with B.C. Parks their plans and opportunities for enabling appropriate public access to Kal Lake Provincial Park beaches.
Ball Diamonds
• Work on partnership agreements with the School District to enable GVSC to renovate and maintain school fields to a higher standard and to enable access to washrooms.• Focus on minor fastball at Grahame Park.
Sports Fields
• Work on partnership agreements with the School District to enable GVSC to renovate and maintain school fields to a higher standard.
• Upgrade or develop 2 to 6 additional fields in parks or at schools the next 10 years (depending on artificial turf at city-wide park or not).
• Support the development of an indoor soccer facility.
• Develop a new fieldhouse with washroom, concession and storage at any proposed major new field complex.
• Develop a package and staff support to encourage tournaments in the community.
Other Park Facilities
• Support the user group in covering or at least adding lights to 4 tennis courts, preferably at Marshall Park.
• Add 4 new tennis courts to one new park within the next 10 years,at Marshall Park if possible.
• Add play areas to all new city-wide, community and neighbourhood parks.
• Upgrade play areas at a rate of 1 to 2 per year to maintain safety.
• Add hard courts to parks if desired by the community.
• Add one more youth park.
• Work with the community to determine locations and policies for dog management.
• Provide picnic facilities in 2 of the new parks.
• Provide 1 to 2 new spray parks, geographically distributed.
Aquatics
• Introduce play toys and large inflatables.
• Allocate an equipment replacement fund.
• Add a climbing wall at the aquatic centre.
• Provide “play leader” training for staff.
• Add retail services to the lobby.
• Add health, wellness, rehab services.
• Upgrade Lakeview outdoor pool.
• Consider alternative management for delivery of aquatic services (private operator or community society).
Arenas
• Develop an Ice Allocation Policy.
• Review the management contract for arenas.
• Develop a leisure ice surface.
Fitness / Wellness Facilities
• Provide space for fitness, wellness and rehabilitation services by renovating the Auditorium.
• Provide accessible weight room equipment for seniors and people with disabilities in new facility.
• Consider partnerships with developers to include fitness, weight room and community spaces.
Indoor Sports Facilities
• Develop a clear policy on community use of school gyms.
• Provide capital funds to the School District to enlarge the size of elementary school gymnasiums.
• Provide capital funds to the School District to twin secondary school gyms.
• Develop a new multi-purpose community recreation facility.
• Partner with sport organizations to build permanent indoor facilities (groups to fund building construction costs).
• Renovate the auditorium to a fitness, health and wellness centre.
• Develop a partnership to build a gymnastics facility.
Cultural Facilities
• Coordinate an Arts and Cultural Network.
• Develop a policy on art in public places.
• Develop a sponsorship package for sculptured art in key public locations.
• Consider supporting the relocation of the Vernon Public Art Gallery to the existing Vernon Public Library building, pending the library location decision.
• Develop a new policy and criteria for funding to community groups.
• Develop a Cultural Plan with arts, cultural and heritage organizations.
Recreation Programs
• Adopt a “community development” approach to recreation programming.
• Form an “Association of Community Planners” representing all community groups providing recreational programs.
• Provide satellite recreation programming in public schools.
• Develop a Community Diversity Action Plan which addresses diversity issues.
• Coordinate a workshop on cultural diversity for community groups.
• Maximize usage of Halina Senior’s Centre by offering intergenerational programs.
• Liaise with youth organizations and support the Teen Junction with their plans to build a new teen centre.
• Encourage social services agencies to provide recreation programs for people with disabilities.
• Investigate and consider a financial assistance program.
Future Recommendations
The following recommendations are provided for consideration beyond the 10-year time frame of the plan:
• Acquire land for a third major destination park.
• Acquire large properties to replace athletic facilities at DND and Marshall Park in the future if necessary.
• If the Civic Arena site is sold, require an urban park component as part of the site’s redevelopment.
• Consider road relocation around Kal Beach Park.
• Upgrade the aquatic centre.
• Provide a new community centre, including an aquatic and fitness/wellness facility.
• Provide additional ice surfaces to replace the Civic arena in 20 years.
• Plan to provide additional programs for seniors in the next ten to twenty years.
Implementation Strategy
The implementation strategy focuses on the primary elements required to successfully implement the Plan, including:
• The role of partnerships, including a proposed community development approach to provision of parks and recreation services, the importance of marketing, and coordination among agencies,
• Needs for human resources as part of the new delivery model,
• Needs for new policies to support the Plan’s recommendations,
• Tools and recommendations for financial planning, and
• A phasing and capital plan for proposed parks and recreation facilities and services.
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