May 25th Meeting Minutes

May 25th, 2005.

Presiding: Steve Halyk.
Invocation: Rick Kiers

Guests and Visiting Rotarians: Ren our Exchange Student, Pierce our Exchange Student. Carol Hemsworth Terry's Wife and Bob McFarland Our guest speaker.

Sargent at arms: Jack Bingham Nelson got fined for a whole bunch of stuff. Bad hair cut ! (If there is any hair to cut) Coming to the meeting in his shorts and sitting at the head table (Excuse - He just arrived from the golf course) Paul Leroy - for sinking a 72' putt. Norm goodtime at Frankenmuth golfing with Mike and company. Rick Kiers - happy buck - just returned from Holand. Terry Hemsworth - fined a dollar - Jack could not find his new house, Happy buck matching grant approved for the Mexico Project.

This weeks meeting (June 1st 2005) Rotary Medals. Detailes attached. Please note this starts at 6:00.

Nelson Introduced our guest speaker Bob McFarland. Bob is the Director of the Parks and Rec department, City of Woodstock. Bob has close to 30 years experience in the Parks and Rec area. Befor coming to Woodstock Bob was the Director at Oakville. Nelson and a number of other club members work with Bob closley.

The speach covers the consultants report on the long range planning for the city's facilities and needs. The original report the city had is outdated and the city recently hired a consulting firm (dmA Planning & Management Services) to come up with a road map for the future. There has been a considerable growth since the last report. Also the requirement has changed. A detailed copy of this report is available at the City of Woodstock Web site.

http://www.city.woodstock.on.ca

Here is a summary of the report.

1.0 PLAN OVERVIEW
1.1 Strategic Master Plan Purpose

The Strategic Master Plan for the Provision of Recreation and Leisure Services has three primary objectives:
1. To establish priorities for recreation facility, park and open space development.
2. To position the City to participate in, and contribute to, initiatives that are innovative, efficient, and fiscally responsible.
3. To recommend a role for the Community Services Department that reflects: the needs of the community, the evolution of service directions in
the field, and opportunities for the City and its partners.

Each of these objectives is described further below.
1. To establish priorities:
1a. How the Plan establishes priorities.
This Plan is strategic. It identifies priorities and specific tasks required to
achieve the vision and goals established for this Plan. It reflects the
community's expressed and demonstrated needs, and responds to the
challenges identified to get from here to there. This Plan is guided by the
input of the citizens and stakeholders, the fiscal and societal realities of
Woodstock, service trends, and the opportunities presented by the City's
partners.

1b. What are the facility and park priorities outlined in this Plan?
The Plan places high priority on the following activities:
â¿¢ Pursuing partnership(s) for multi-purpose facility development.
â¿¢ Providing opportunities and spaces for youth.
â¿¢ Providing opportunities and spaces for informal, unstructured active
recreational uses.
â¿¢ Providing opportunities and spaces for creative activities.
â¿¢ Ensuring facilities and parks respond to the needs of the disabled.
â¿¢ Developing a linked system of parks, open space, bikeways and
pathways.
â¿¢ Ensuring a more supportive parks policy environment.

2. To position the City to achieve goals and service objectives:
2a. How the Plan will help position the City and the Department.
The City of Woodstock's recreation, parks and culture infrastructure
ranges from traditional to state-of-the-art. As the community grows,
and trends and community expectations evolve, there will be demands
from many quarters. The City's Strategic Plan envisions the City as a
place that is"⿦Suitable for people of all ages and origins, ⿦ provides
room to grow and space to breathe."1 This Plan foresees a community
with recreation and leisure opportunities for all ages, interests and
abilities. To achieve this desired future the City must balance demands
and resources strategically through purposeful direction.

2b. What are the key initiatives in this area?
The Plan provides:
â¿¢ Strong support for partnership to help achieve service goals.
â¿¢ A clear position supporting broad-based, introductory leisure and
cultural opportunities for all ages, interest and abilities, and reduced
financial support for specialized interests or groups.
â¿¢ Direction to develop policies stating the City's commitment to equity
and access.
â¿¢ Direction to undertake an "active living" and a "creative city" plan.
â¿¢ Direction to develop a Trails Master Plan.

3. To recommend a Department role:

3a. Why a better defined role for the Department is needed.
This Plan recognizes that the role of the Community Services
Department must change. This is not a reflection on the current
Department but of the enormous developments that have occurred in
leisure services since the City's last master plan was written. The
expectations that citizens have for these services, a new
understanding of the importance of recreation with respect to health,
the significance of the "creative city" to economic strength, and
changing demographics, are some of these developments with
implications for the Department's role.
3b. What should the Department's role be?
Leadership and co-ordination are the primary elements of the
recommended role.
â¿¢ Through leadership the Department will support a balance of services,
active healthy lifestyles, creative opportunities, and informal
activities, and support initiatives and events that contribute to
community cohesiveness and civic pride.
â¿¢ Through leadership and co-ordination the Department will bring partners
together to develop responsive and financially efficient programs,
facilities and services.
â¿¢ Through leadership the Department will increase recruitment of and
support to community volunteers, and assume greater responsibility
for community development.

Bob was suitabley thanked by Erik.