Improving pathways in Wakamow Valley and ensuring there is enough money to support the community’s green spaces are two issues that Hervig Ronovsky wants to see city hall better address.
Ronovsky and his adult son, Brennan, attended an open house at the Kiwanis Lodge Pavilion in Wakamow Valley on Sept. 20, which showcased the potential priorities in the parks and recreation department’s proposed master plan. The priorities were grouped under the categories of “Development and Infrastructure,” “Service Delivery,” and “Programming.”
The parks and rec department held a similar open house later that evening at the Kinsmen Sportsplex.
The open houses are part of phase 4 of the five-phase master plan campaign.
Ronovsky — who moved to Moose Jaw a month ago — thought many pathways and trails in Wakamow Valley needed to be upgraded, including through the former Wild Animal Park.
“Yesterday … I went up the hill where there is one bench. It’s very tough to get up there because it’s all gravel, and it rained, so it was muddy,” he said. “So, I think that should be looked after.”
Other areas Ronovsky wants to see addressed include upgrading the “horrible” rotten benches at the Memorial Field Minor Fastball Diamond and installing more tennis courts and pickleball courts.
Ronovsky also thinks city hall should acquire sponsorships to pay for the upgrades to parks and rec venues. While some money can be attained from the government, it should also come from sources closer to home.
“I think there’s a lot of big companies in Moose Jaw,” he added. “If they are community-minded, they should allocate some resources for that.”
Resident Lorna Arnold wanted to see better services for the lawn bowling venue in Crescent Park. She thought maintenance of the area was “very poor,” especially since the city neglected to pave the path to the clubhouse door while upgrading the rest of the park.
“It really felt like they were trying to get rid of us when they didn’t pave our pathway (or) grade out the ruts they made,” she said.
Installing more bike lanes throughout the community — including downtown — was something Arnold also wanted to see. She thought there were not enough lanes for people who chose that transportation.
Cassandra Dell’aquila, a landscape architect with consulting firm EDS Group, explained that the open houses allowed the firm to present feedback it had acquired and how that feedback shapes the draft master plan.
Specifically, the data came from researching existing municipal parks and rec plans, trends and leading practices in communities of similar size, public stakeholder meetings, workshops and Sidewalk Days.
EDS Group then condensed the information into the three categories of “Development and Infrastructure,” “Service Delivery,” and “Programming.”
Development and Infrastructure is about the physical changes or improvements to venues and facilities.
“So, we have a comprehensive trail strategy (suggestion), so that’s the physical, tangible things people were asking for,” said Dell’aquila.
Service Delivery is how the parks and rec department offers services, whether maintenance or operation hours. Dell’aquila noted that one suggestion is to create a volunteer management database that residents can access to see what volunteer opportunities are available.
Lastly, Programming looks at the programs, events and activities in which the community can participate. For example, one suggestion is for the city to explore partnerships with nature-based programming.
“There is an increased desire for people to connect back to nature, and they want to be educated on the benefits that that brings to them,” said Dell’aquila.
After collecting the feedback from the open houses, EDS Group will determine the priority levels for the suggestions using nine testing points. The firm will award each suggestion a score between one and five.
A final report will be presented to city council in mid-October.
Dell’aquila added that EDS Group still wants to hear from residents about this initiative. The project website — parksmasterplan.ca/moosejaw — is still open, which is good news for people who couldn’t attend the open houses.
