The town of Carstairs, as well as some surrounding counties, are looking for resident input on what projects should be put onto the drawing board in the coming years with the Mountain View Regional Parks and Recreation Master Plan. 

The Town of Olds, Didsbury, and Sundre are all joining Carstairs in the Master Plan as well as the Village of Cremona and Mountain View County. The last time all municipalities worked together in this fashion was for the previous Parks and Recreation Master Plan in 2009. 

Kirk Williscroft, Director of Community Services for the Town of Carstairs and representative involved in the Mountain View Regional Parks and Recreation Master Plan, says the plan is to serve as a guide to make sure residents and governments are all on the same page.  

“It’s to give us some direction moving forward for each municipality and county as a whole for what residents want to see. Everything from facilities to walking paths to programs.” 

Williscroft says the Town of Carstairs already has some ideas on what they expect their residents to request, such as more green space, expanded walking trails, and more ice-space which would potentially mean a major renovation on the arena. 

“We’ve been wondering if maybe there’s an opportunity for facilities like a fieldhouse. And if so, would it be in town or would it be in another county say, ten to fifteen minutes away.” says Williscroft, “We have to look at whether people are willing to travel to use a facility.” 

The Mountain View Regional Parks and Recreation Master Plan is in the form of a survey which is broken into three branches: resident, stakeholder, and youth. 

Residents and youth will be asked what sort of facilities they’d like to see in their town/county in the near future such as curling rinks, visual art spaces, libraries, and community halls. Further questions asked are a resident's satisfaction with current facilities as well as their feedback on indoor programs like swimming lessons and performing arts. 

Stakeholders will be asked a different set of questions, more specifically related to their organization and their growth predictions in the participating counties.  

Williscroft goes on to say that all resident feedback, positive or negative, is appreciated and helps give the towns a roadmap on where they need to allocate resources and funds. 

To take the resident survey: CLICK HERE 

To take the youth survey: CLICK HERE 

To take the stakeholder survey: CLICK HERE 

The Mountain View Regional Parks and Recreation Master Plan surveys close at the end of April.