WSPR STAFF REPORT - West Shore Regional Parks & Recreation Facilities Master Plan Funding Request

WSPR STAFF REPORT

RECOMMENDATION:

That the West Shore Parks & Recreation Society Members support and approve the $140,000 funding request for a West Shore Regional Parks & Recreation Facilities Master Plan to be led by West Shore Parks & Recreation staff.

BACKGROUND:

The West Shore Parks & Recreation Society (WSPRS) continues to be a parks and recreation leader in Greater Victoria, providing a diverse offering of recreation and sporting services and facilities. This regional partnership comprised of the City of Colwood, District of Highlands, City of Langford, District of Metchosin and Town of View Royal has been a great example of the success of a regional approach to municipal services.

On June 25th, 2024 a meeting was held to discuss the benefits of a regional approach to assessing the current and future recreational and sporting needs of the West Shore. In attendance were the mayors from 4 of the 5 West Shore communities and all 5 CAOs. Consultants from RC Strategies presented on the benefits of recreation, realities facing the recreation sector and the regional recreation master planning process, indicating a 12-16 month timeline. Additionally, RC Strategies presented highlights of the recent Parks, Trails & Recreation Needs Assessment they conducted on behalf of the City of Langford. Each WSPRS member provided an overview of their community’s needs and challenges. As well, the WSPR administrator presented an overview of the services and facilities provided by WSPRS.

The June 25th meeting concluded with all in attendance supporting a West Shore Regional Parks & Recreation facilities Master Plan to be led by WSPR staff in partnership with the 5 members. Due to current work taking place in the cities of Langford and Colwood, a sense of urgency was expressed resulting in a request for the process to begin in 2024.

DISCUSSION:

The West Shore community continues to grow and require increased service offerings, including recreation and sport opportunities. Member councils as well as the WSPRS board of directors have heard from local sports organizations and community members regarding the growing need for more facilities on the West Shore.

To meet this need and continue to take advantage of the WSPRS approach, the expansion of WSPRS beyond its current locations should be considered. To strategically accomplish this, a comprehensive inventory of the existing parks and recreation facilities and a future needs assessment should be conducted to provide the WSPRS members with information to make informed decisions about the future of recreation on the West Shore.

Taking advantage of the operational and financial efficiencies derived from the current regional approach will prevent the duplication of facilities and services as well as ensure service consistency for the benefit of the West Shore community.

The desired outcomes of the West Shore Regional Parks & Recreation Facilities Master Plan include but are not limited to:

• Current parks and recreation facility inventory on the West Shore.
• Needs assessment with future forecasting.
• Development of amendment options for the governance agreements that provide guidance for the addition and funding of services and facilities to be operated by WSPR which includes the process for member consideration and approval/disapproval.
• Development of organizational structure options for WSPR consideration as increased services and facilities require increased staffing resources to meet operational needs.
• Member adoption of a regional parks and recreation master plan.

BUDGET IMPLICATIONS:

WSPR is requesting $140,000 to undertake a West Shore Region Parks & Recreation Facilities Master Plan project on behalf of the West Shore Parks & Recreation Society members. The following table is the impact to each member:

Respectfully Submitted,

Grant Brown, Administrator