MORRISBURG – The recreation plan that South Dundas council hoped would be the people’s plan, reflecting the wants and needs of the community, is now entering its final phase: everyone can see if the plan hits the mark.
The full plan and plan summary were made available late last week in advance of the public meeting which took place July 20 at the Morrisburg arena.
Development of this 10 year draft South Dundas recreation plan came with a $74,620 price tag.
Public consultation on the ‘Made for South Dundas’ plan included 650 surveys completed by South Dundas residents.
Also 36 individuals representing 27 community organizations were invited to participate in community stakeholder sessions. Nineteen members of municipal staff and council also participated in the information gathering process.
A vision statement for recreation was created: “We strive to improve our quality of life in South Dundas through active and healthy opportunities for all.”
Three key themes were identified including; investing in the Morrisburg and Iroquois waterfront; creating community hubs through multi-use parks and facilities and strengthening recreational trail connections.
Regarding the creation of community hubs the consultants have identified the existing Iroquois Civic Centre as a potential hub.
The consultants reported that the need for a new indoor multi-use recreation facility should be re-evaluated in 2031.
The action plan suggests that over the next two years the capital priorities should be developing an active transportation strategy, reviewing municipal signage, establishing trail wayfinding signage, renovating the Morrisburg arena, completing an architectural study of the Iroquois Civic Centre and updating the Morrisburg Waterfront plan and Iroquois Park Commons Waterfront plan.
In 2025-2027 suggested capital projects include an Iroquois waterfront park splash pad, multi-use sports pads at Earl Baker Park, smaller scale multi-use sports pad projects at Haldane Park, Render Park, Orchard Park and Riverside Heights Parks. Other suggested capital projects are an Earl Baker Park Community Skate Park, Iroquois Beach playground, sand volleyball courts at the Iroquois and Morrisburg beaches and outdoor fitness equipment installations at the Morrisburg and Iroquois waterfront, Duncan Park and Matilda Memorial Park.