Highlights - RFNS - PIC Boards

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City of Woodstock Recreation Facility Needs Study About the Master Plan

Woodstock’s Community Profile

The City of Woodstock is updating its Recreation Facility Needs Study in order to:

• Population is forecasted to grow to 54,470 by the year 2031 (Oxford County, 2020)

• Respond to the rapid increase in demand for recreational services resulting from continued population growth • Investigate recreation facility needs including those that may not presently exist in Woodstock • Advance strategies to address aging recreation infrastructure • Identify the need for recreation facilities along with when they are required and their estimated costs

• Median age is 42, similar to Ontario and slightly younger than Oxford County (2016 Census)

• Median household income was $68,000, about $6,250 below the provincial median (2016 Census)

• 11% of residents were born outside of Canada (2016 Census)

2001 Population 2011 Population 2016 Population 2021 Population (est.)

2031 Population (est.)

33,060 37,755 40,400 42,910 54,470

Sources: Statistics Canada Census 20012016; Oxford County, 2020

Trends

Southside Park

Argyle Park Trailhead

Recreation Facility Trends

Participation Trends in Recreation

• Creating of community hubs through recreation and other civic services

• Busy lifestyles make it difficult to find time

• Multi-purpose, multi-seasonal, multigenerational spaces

• Desires for drop-in activity choices

• Multiple sports fields at a single location • Safe, comfortable and sustainable design

Park Row Park

Reeves Community Complex

• Need to engage persons with disabilities, diverse cultural backgrounds, different incomes and age groups, etc.

• Finding, retaining and recognizing volunteers is important

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City of Woodstock Recreation Facility Needs Study Methodology

Public Consultation Highlights and Themes

Phase 1: Initial Research

• 926 surveys were completed by the public while 11 major recreation groups operating in the City were directly engaged through Stakeholder Summits

• Background document review • Demographic review • Market trends • Facility inventory and mapping Phase 2: Community Engagement • Project awareness (webpage) • Community consultations • City staff, Recreation Advisory Committee, and City Council engagement

• Strong value placed upon the City’s trails, playgrounds, Southside Aquatic Centre, and the Reeves Community Complex • Requests for additional gymnasium space, renewals to aging outdoor infrastructure, greater trail connectivity, and facilities that allow local athletes to train • Support for a new community centre to be built at Cowan Fields • Observations that facilities need to keep pace with population growth, cultural diversification and other socio-economic factors (such as age and level of income) • COVID-19 has been a challenge for many groups being able to operate and keep membership levels, but the pandemic has also emphasized the importance of recreation and trails

Phase 3: Recreation Facility Needs Assessment • Implementation strategy • Draft Recreation Facility Needs Study Phase 4: Study Testing & Finalization • Finalize Recreation Facility Needs Study • Presentation to City Council

Brompton Park

Cowan Sportsplex

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City of Woodstock Recreation Facility Needs Study Draft RFNS Recommendations Cowan Fields Phase 2 Development Strategy The RFNS recommends that a new multi-use community centre be built at Cowan Fields containing the following indoor and outdoor recreation facility components at a minimum: • Single pad arena (designed to allow a future expansion if required); • Gymnasium and group fitness studio; • Multi-purpose rooms for meetings, gatherings and community recreation programs; • Regulation-size cricket grounds; • 1 full basketball court; • 3 tennis courts and 3 pickleball courts; • 4 sand volleyball courts; and • Additional internal pathways and/or walking loops

Enhancement of Southside Aquatic Centre • A new outdoor pool with lane and leisure components should be built to replace the Spray & Play Wading Pool and Lion’s Pool; and • Expand the existing building with additional changeroom and lobby space.

Cowan Fields Southside Aquatic Centre Outdoor Pool Concept (Grace Wang Architect Inc., 2019

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City of Woodstock Recreation Facility Needs Study Draft RFNS Recommendations (continued) Continuing to Develop the Local Trails System

Conceptual Trails Network

Build upon the existing trail network with consideration given to: • Developing paved and unpaved trails throughout Southside Park • Complete the trail loop around Pittock Conservation Area • Creating a City-wide loop that links the Youth Start Trail, McIntosh Park, Southside Park, Cowan Fields and other key destinations • Establishing connected trails in future residential areas • Developing walking pathways in existing parks and public spaces • Investigating strategies to connect City trails to adjacent communities • Identifying areas for comfort features (e.g., seating, shade, signage, etc.)

Other Recreation Facility Needs • Construct a new splash pad, designed to a larger specification in order to attract use from across the City and region, potentially at the Reeves Community Complex pending a facility fit exercise • Construct a standard splash pad to serve northwest Woodstock; • Carry out planned replacement of indoor turf at Cowan Sportsplex and continue to target redevelopment of soccer fields; • Work with Woodstock Minor Baseball Association to explore ways that existing softball diamonds can be adapted to allow hardball programs; • Provide at least 2 new basketball courts • Build a natural playground while replacing aging playgrounds in a timely manner with barrier-free components

Pittock C.A.

Shanna Larsen Park

Southside Aquatic Centre

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City of Woodstock Recreation Facility Needs Study Next Steps Please tell us what you like about the Draft RFNS and anything you would like us to consider before we finalize it. Comments can be emailed to parksandrecreation@cityofwoodstock.ca or directed to City Hall (500 Dundas Street, Woodstock, ON N4S 0A7) care of Brian Connors, Director of Parks & Recreation.

The Final Recreation Facility Needs Study will be presented to City Council in the coming weeks.

Cowan Sportsplex