Recreation, Arts & Culture Plan 2022/23
This page was last reviewed on July 27, 2022.
The Village of Cumberland is developing a Recreation, Arts and Culture (RAC) Plan to better identify the types of indoor and outdoor spaces and programs in demand by the community, as well as to inform future decision making with respect to how the Village supports and provides recreation, arts and cultural services in the community.
We want to hear from all Cumberland residents so we can best support your recreation, arts and cultural needs!
Engagement Opportunities | Objectives | Scope
Project Team | Project Schedule
Engagement Opportunities
Staff and contractors are currently discussing plans for enhanced community engagement, which will likely happen sometime in Fall 2022. Details will be announced here as soon as they become available.
An interim report of the Recreation, Arts & Culture Plan was prepared on May 25, 2022 and presented at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday, May 30 at 2pm. View a saved recording of this meeting on the Village of Cumberland YouTube channel (the report presentation and discussion begins at 43:46).
Past engagements
Online Survey: We held an online survey to facilitate the community’s involvement in the plan. The survey was open until April 11, 2022, and its insights are helping shape further consultation and engagements. A summary of survey results can be found in the May 25 interim report.
Stakeholder engagement: Engagement with key Project stakeholders and focus groups took place during the first half of March. The Project team engaged with a wide variety of community organizations, including local businesses and nonprofits actively engaged in the sector, regional partners such as SD71 and the CVRD, and Village staff and Council.
Public Engagement Event #1: Our first engagement and project kick-off event was held on March 16 at the Cumberland Cultural Centre, where the community was given a chance to share their thoughts on Cumberland’s current recreation, arts and culture service delivery as well as their vision for the future.
Objectives
In recognizing the recent growth in the community, the aging status of Village-owned recreation and culture facilities, and the impact of COVID-19 on the recreation, arts and cultural community, the Plan will meet the following objectives:
- Engaging residents and stakeholders on recreation, arts, and culture services to be delivered by the Village.
- Research best practices and emerging trends in recreation and culture facility design, programming, special event provision, partnerships, and related topics.
- Inform Village infrastructure and facility planning and design.
- Create an implementation plan to guide the Village’s strategic delivery of recreation and cultural services over a 10-year horizon.
- Provide the foundational pieces that will support the advancement of the Economic Development Strategy and provide guidance to the Village in supporting arts and culture as an economic driver in the community.
Scope
While the project will consider a range of municipal indoor and outdoor recreation amenities, its focus will be recreation facilities in the core of the Village. For the Cumberland Community Forest Park and Cumberland Lake Park, the Village will continue to rely on recently developed park plans to guide recreation management and improvements. For more information, see:
Meanwhile, the Village is also a participant in regional recreation services delivered by the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD). As part of the delivery of these services, the CVRD has concurrent recreation planning initiatives underway, including an Aquatics Strategy and an Adult Ice Use study. The Village will liaise with the CVRD throughout the project to ensure planning outcomes and objectives are aligned.
Project Team
The Recreation, Arts & Culture Plan is a priority project for the Village and will involve several departments, led by the Parks & Recreation department, and guided by subject-matter experts. The Project will be led by the Manager of Parks and Recreation, with support from the Recreation and Culture Supervisor; Parks, Trails and Lands Supervisor; Economic Development Officer, and others.
Following a Request for Proposal Process in Fall 2021, The Village awarded the project contract to hcma in partnership with GDH Solutions (GDH). The hcma/GDH team provides extensive knowledge and experience in community and facility planning and strong understanding of the Project’s goals/needs.
Project Schedule
The Project is anticipated to be complete in early 2023. Specific project milestones include:
- Project start up, background report review and inventory of existing conditions: December 2021 to February 2022 – Completed
- Public and Stakeholder/Rightsholder Outreach and Consultation: March – Nov 2022 – Ongoing
- Plan Development and Conceptual Facility Design: August – Dec 2022
- Presentation of final report to Council: early 2023