Jonathan Hack, Manager of Sierra Planning and Management, presented the County’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan to Council last month.

A robust public engagement strategy included a half-dozen community workshops, and a public survey that generated 681 responses and continuous outreach to external stakeholders, including Quinte Conservation, the public school board, and the Prince Edward Fitness and Aquatic Centre.

The Plan designates municipal recreation hubs from the primary — arenas in Picton and Wellington — through the secondary — the town halls and rec centres scattered across the County in villages like Bloomfield and Demorestville — through its outdoor hubs, or playgrounds, like those in Northport and Consecon. 

Strategic investments in parks and playgrounds, ideas for new facilities, and strengthening the trail network are in the works. Ideas include:

A second ice pad and/or a gymnasium and pool at the Wellington Community Centre to create a multi-use recreation centre complex with both indoor and outdoor amenities.

“The issue is can you squeeze it on the current site, or can you protect land for its future development?” said Mr. Hack.

The Plan notes the County gets good value for its $65,000 annual contribution to the Prince Edward Fitness and Aquatic Centre (PEFAC). That investment represents about a tenth of what it would cost the municipality to run its own pool.

But the County needs to entertain the idea of its own pool and, perhaps, a gym. Currently, the PECI gyms are used by community groups in winter.

“Now is not the time to respond to those in the community saying ‘we must build a pool’. I don’t think you have to, but you have to recognize if you build a gymnasium, adding a pool allows you to program effectively.” 

“It’s not cheap, but it’s a project you could really wrap around the Wellington District Community Centre.”

PEFAC Board Secretary and spokesperson Sue Mathieu noted the not-for-profit has created a long-term vision statement and is determining the possibilities for its current location.

An additional pool, a gym, enhanced accessibility and community space including child care programs, as well as a reconfiguration of the parking lot, are under consideration. All the new ideas require that PEFAC purchase its current site.  

Residents will have another opportunity to make public comments on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan before a final version informs budget deliberations this fall.