Editor:
Re: Recreation and parks master plan
I am taking this opportunity to respond to the articles in the paper dated July 19.
I found both headings of the articles, as well as the articles themselves, to be disappointing. There is so much good news in the master plan.
The steering committee is made up of a group of volunteers who are collectively extremely knowledgeable about recreation and the parks/trails on the Coast, well connected and engaged in the community with multiple spheres of influence, all with one thing in common - their passion for the delivery of a community-centred recreation and parks division.
The master plan has been well laid out by the consultants with vision, mission and values, specific goals and roles to support the goals.
The best news of all is that it is structured to build strong individuals and an even stronger connected community. It does this by being citizen focused, and that means focused on all citizens, all ages and all stages.
It is no surprise that the top priorities from the plan are trails/bikeways and parks, but also more programming both inside the facilities and closer to home.
With one of the Sunshine Coast Regional District's strategic direction of collaboration, the master plan emphasizes citizen engagement in all things. This started at the very beginning with a survey and community outreach. Now, with the community builder/facilitator role firmly embedded in the plan, the idea of engaging the community in all things recreation and parks will be front and centre.
Anne Titcomb, chair,
steering committee for the SCRD recreation and parks department
