THURSDAY April 17, 2014 Vol. 29• No. 31 ••• $1.25 inc. G.S.T.
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Village skatepark plans rolling along smoothly Renee Andor Record Staff
Layout plans for Cumberland’s proposed skatepark are expected to be complete this year. Village parks and outdoor recreation co-ordinator Kevin McPhedran says staff will wait until Cumberland’s financial plan is finally adopted — which is expected in mid-May — before setting any specific timelines for the design work. But, he says work could begin as early as latespring or in the summer, with a goal to have a custom design for a skatepark in Village Park complete by the end of 2014. The Village has partnered with Cumberland Community Schools Society (CCSS) Skatepark Committee to help make the proposed project a reality, and committee chair Cam Matthews points out the community will be involved in the design phase. “This is a community-based design where a skatepark consulting company comes in and we get anybody in the community that’s interested in putting forth their ideas of what a skatepark should look like, and then they take all those ideas and create a custom skatepark for Cumberland,” says Matthews.
IF ALL GOES to plan, a custom skatepark will be built right here in Village Park.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL SEEMAN
The skatepark is slated to replace one of two tennis courts and the basketball court currently in the park, so the project also includes decommissioning these two facilities, upgrades to
the remaining tennis court and installation of a practice basketball area. Total cost is estimated at $480,000. Cumberland council has strongly put its support behind
the project, committing $150,000 toward the project in the fall, and allocating another $150,000 during recent budget discussions — though this second fund allocation won’t be official until the
financial plan is finally approved in May. As well, a $20,000 donation from the recreation society has been set aside for the project.
“For this first year, we’ve set it up so respondents can rate their level of satisfaction with different budget categories,” she said. “It will give the public a chance to read descriptions of our services in a format that is much easier to understand than the traditional financial reports.” Full financial reports are also available on the City website for those who want to see more
detailed information. Operating budget categories include Protective Services (police, fire, bylaw enforcement, building inspections, emergency measures), Recreation, Parks and Culture, Water and Sewer Services, Transportation and Waste Collection. Respondents can also weigh in with their top five important issues facing the city.
If the Citizen Budget tool proves useful, the City will consider expanding it for the 2015 budget year. “We’d like to provide a tool in the future where citizens can simulate moving money around in the budget and see the implications of those choices,” said Manthey. Council will use survey results to gauge public satisfaction with
the 2014 budget, and to help guide the budget planning process for 2015 and beyond. Those wishing to provide formal feedback on the 2014-2018 proposed financial plan before finalization in May can view detailed budget documents at www.courtenay.ca. Questions and comments should be sent to Manthey at tmanthey@courtenay.ca before April 25.
... see COMMUNITY ASKED... ■ A2
City wants to hear public feedback on budget The City of Courtenay has launched a new tool for citizens to provide feedback on Courtenay’s budget. The Citizen Budget survey is available until June 30 at www. courtenay.ca. Tillie Manthey, director of financial services, says the survey will allow the public to weigh in on expenses for various City operations.
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