Strategic Plan & Recreation Services Plan Update

The Township of Selwyn is updating its Strategic Plan, Recreation Services Plan, and Trails Master Plan, with the help of Monteith Brown Planning Consultants, aimed at supporting opportunities for active fun over the next 5-10 years! (Note: the Recreation Services Plan and Trails Master Plan will be consolidated into one document.)

Strategic Plan

Background

Municipal strategic plans are long-range priority-setting documents, typically spanning five-to-ten year time frames. They reflect community priorities and help identify and guide decision-making over extended periods as communities evolve and develop.

Typically, as each term of Council begins, plans are refined or refreshed and Council sets priorities working within the general framework of the existing plan. The base plan is used as a starting framework. Individual action priorities are also set reflecting the current Council’s priorities.

Strategic Plan 2018

The 2018 Township of Selwyn Strategic Plan was created following community engagement with a variety of stakeholders, and has served the community well. It, too, was built upon the Township's prior strategic planning efforts.

Recognizing that community engagement is a key element of Council’s decision-making process, the development of the Strategic Plan advanced in a way that offered multiple opportunities for public participation and was reviewed yearly, in an open meeting of Council, to measure successes, and provide updates and further opportunities for community engagement.

The goals identified in the 2018 Strategic Plan are:

• Foster a healthy, engaged and connected community;
• Achieve excellence in governance and service delivery;
• Support a sustainable, balanced, and investment-ready community;
• Cultivate partnerships and promote collaboration.

Recreation Services Plan

The original Recreation Services Plan was developed in 2012 and was updated in 2018. The Recreational Trails Master Plan was developed in 2014. These plans provide an implementation strategy for the development of parks, trails, and recreation services. A number of its recommendations have already been achieved, and several new initiatives are now underway.

These Plans help the Township guide and manage parks and open space development, recreation and leisure services, events, facilities, and other recreation amenities.

The goal of the update is to:

• assess the work completed and successes achieved to date;
• identify investments, policies, and processes to support recreational service needs for the next 5-10 years; and
• consolidate the Recreation Services Plan and the Recreations Trails Master Plan into one document.

Public Engagement

As one of Peterborough County's fastest-growing municipalities (demonstrated by an impressive 9.3% growth in the 2021 census), 18,653 people call the Township of Selwyn home. Each member of the community has a unique perspective on what they value most about living here!

As the Mayor and members of Council prepare the draft 2024 Strategic Plan and Recreation Services Plan, they need to hear from you!

• Complete the short survey below to tell Council what you value most about Selwyn Township now and what the needs and priorities should be for our parks and recreation facilities, programs, and services over the next 5-10 years. (Note: the same survey is being used to guide both the Strategic Plan update and the Recreation Services Plan update.) You could win 1 of 3 $100 gift cards to a local business of your choice!
• Join the Public Open House and provide your feedback on what the priorities should be for our area over the next 5 years. Drop in on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, between 5:00-7:00 pm to Council Chamber in the lower level of the Municipal Office (1310 Centre Line, Selwyn).

Please submit your feedback to info@selwyntownship.ca to share your ideas!