Inventory of recreation services to be presented

Details

Published on Friday, October 21, 2016

By Miranda Leybourne

Neepawa Banner

A review of Neepawa’s recreational services is happening at the Neepawa Town Office on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m.

Manitoba Indigenous and Municipal Relations regional consultant Charlene Dysart will be on hand to present the findings of a study she did on the delivery of recreation services in town. 

In January 2016, Dysart met with representatives of the town of Neepawa to take a look at the delivery of recreation services in the community. 

Dysart’s job was to oversee the development of a questionnaire and interview 36 local organizations. She shared the results with the council and both parties decided a public meeting was next on the agenda.

According to Dysart, recreation services are extremely important for all Manitobans.

“Well-documented research consistently shows that recreation is fundamental to the physical, emotional, social and spiritual well-being of individuals, neighbourhoods and our society as a whole,” she explains.

She adds that it’s clear that residents and organizations in Neepawa share the provincial government’s passion for recreation. 

“The interviews showed that the people of Neepawa value recreation and are doing their part to provide a variety of recreational opportunities for community residents,” Dysart affirms. “We also learned that with changing demographics it may be time for the community to review recreation programs, facilities and services to meet the needs of Neepawa and surrounding area.”

Amanda Novak, recreation services coordinator with the Town of Neepawa, says she is eager to see what Dysart’s findings will be. 

“The province came out in March...they met with pretty much every group [that offers recreational services],” she explains. “It’s kind of a third party thing, just to help give us some unbiased opinion on how we can improve the delivery of recreation in Neepawa.”

Novak says she looks forward to seeing the potential for growth that may come from Dysart’s findings.