On Tuesday, residents can get a glimpse into how Bradford plans to improve the ways local citizens move, play and unwind at town facilities in the coming years.
Monteith Brown Inc. consultants is expected to present council with an update on the town’s Leisure Services Master Plan and provide an update on the progress since the previous plan was adopted in 2017, while also setting new goals for parks, recreation facilities and services to the year 2031, by which time the town’s population is estimated to reach 60,000.
According to the consultant, since 2017, about half of the 66 recommendations from the previous plan have been implemented, including:
- Achieved 95 per cent of the recommended new parkland;
- Completed the first phase of Henderson Memorial Park;
- Preparation of a conceptual plan for Centennial Park;
- Rejuvenation of established parks such as Taylor Park and Lions Park;
- Built a pickleball complex at the Danube Seniors Centre;
- Additions to the sports field supply including new fields for soccer, ball and cricket;
- Two new splash pads and six new playgrounds
Moving forward, some key recommendations include:
- Create a new multi-use community centre in Bradford with an arena, indoor aquatics centre, gymnasium, and group fitness studio;
- Redevelop Bond Head Hall and Bud Brown Park with a small gymnasium or large hall, group fitness studio, social space, tennis courts, waterplay, basic skateboarding and outdoor skating;
- Redevelop the Danube Seniors Leisure Centre to provide barrier-free accessibility and enable recreation, culture, and social activities;
- Initiate Phase 2 of development of Henderson Memorial Park with an outdoor artificial turf field, circular field for cricket and community activities, and other amenities;
- Convert the Lions Park building to a youth centre
In addition to guiding how the town provides for the leisure needs of residents, the update is also expected to inform development charges, budgets, park designs, and other future plans.
Anand Desai, project lead for Monteith Brown Inc., is expected to make the presentation, outline the draft report, answer council questions and provide recommended next steps.
Online surveys and community workshops ran from December 2022 to February 2023, but residents are expected to have more opportunities to review and comment on the draft plan in September, before a finalized plan goes before council later in the fall.
For more information, residents can attend the regular meeting of council scheduled to be in the Don Harrison Auditorium at the Bradford and District Memorial Community Centre, at 125 Simcoe Road, on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023 at 7 p.m.
