Wakamow Valley has more than 200 hectares (500 acres) of space to enjoy, but to ensure that area is properly managed, the valley authority is holding an open house to acquire public feedback.
The strategic plan open house occurs Friday, March 1, from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Sportsman Centre at 276 Home Street East. Staff with Wakamow Valley Authority (WVA) and consulting firm Non-Profit Governance Solutions — which has been helping with this project since January — will be on hand to answer questions and record attendees’ suggestions.
The event is part of the board of directors’ efforts to renew its three-year strategic plan, which will help it set priorities and guide activities. The organization has already launched an online survey, which asks valley users to suggest areas on which the board should focus and goals to accomplish.
Some questions include frequency of valley use, types of activities attended, what people like and what makes the area special, specific areas/venues visitors use, events people attended last year, whether people donate or volunteer, areas of focus for the next three years and whether people are members of a community group that uses the valley.
Once Non-Profit Governance Solutions acquires everyone’s opinion — it has been interviewing board members, volunteers and groups — it will compile those answers and present a report to the WVA board in April. Based on that data, the board would then decide which areas to focus on for the next three years.
Click here to complete the survey. It can also be found on the WVA Facebook page and its website.
“It’s an exciting process to go through. I’m looking forward to having everybody’s opinion and see what direction the public wants us to go in with the park,” said Donna MacQuarrie-Bye, general manager of WVA.
While the authority office hasn’t received any specific input, staff have noticed that “a decently high number” of people have shared that survey link through social media and the website, which is exciting, she continued.
The three-year strategic plan and the public feedback are both important because Wakamow Valley Authority is a publicly funded organization and everyone’s input can give direction to the authority and what to do with the valley itself, said MacQuarrie-Bye.
“It keeps us in a positive direction and a forward-thinking direction as well,” she added.
Wakamow Valley Authority was established in 1981 by an act of the Saskatchewan provincial legislature. The authority is responsible for the implementation of the Wakamow Park Master Plan.
