Several projects are currently being undertaken by multiple departments in the Town of Drumheller which will have long-lasting impacts on the future of the community, and on Tuesday, November 22 the Drumheller Housing Strategy, Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and Community and Social Needs Assessment were highlighted at a multi-project open house at the Badlands Community Facility (BCF).
Residents were given an opportunity to attend sessions in the afternoon and evening, with members of the Economic Development, Community Development and Social Planning (CDSP), and Recreation, Arts, and Culture departments who, along with providing information on their respective projects, were also collecting feedback and comments.
“The common ground (for these projects) is wanting to improve the quality of life for citizens,” says Economic Development manager Reg Johnston.
He explains the Town’s future housing needs within the next five years are estimated at an additional 191 to 220 homes to accommodate projected supply and demand. The Housing Strategy will also look at current gaps in the housing market, affordability, and rental vacancy rates using a variety of data including Stats Canada and real estate current and historic listing data.
Mr. Johnston shares there were a total of 38 real estate listings in November 2022, which is down significantly from 2019 when there were a total of 171 listings in the same month.
He adds this data can be useful to show the level of existing housing stock in discussions with developers.
Although each department is undertaking its own distinctive projects, each has some interconnectivity.
“While I’m presenting the Housing Strategy, one of the things we want to look at is affordability, and so the Social Needs Assessment and Living Wage information (from CDSP) all helps support thoughts and what we want to do from a strategy perspective,” he says.
The last Social Needs Assessment was conducted in 2017, and the information collected helped the department identify community priorities, which include affordable and accessible mental health care, cost of living, youth activities, and welcoming newcomers to the community.
Community Development coordinator Heather Carlson shares the Town was then able to address some of these priorities once they were identified.
Funds were allocated to subsidize counselling services for lower income households, and provide a recreation fee assistance program; the Town also created a position within the department to facilitate youth programming.
The assessment includes a survey, which launched on Tuesday and will be open until January 3, 2023, along with a community engagement over the Family Day weekend. Ms. Carlson notes there are also other engagements planned with agencies in the community, such as The Salvation Army or religious organizations, which offer support or may identify support needs within the community.
“Once you have housing and you have recreation, how do you build those community ties of belonging…of meaning and hope…of how we can work together on this. All those pieces are needs for all of us,” Ms. Carlson says.
Recreation, Arts, and Culture manager Darren Goldthorpe recognizes the importance recreation can play in drawing people to the community and enticing them to stay.
He shares the Parks and Recreation Master Plan will help the department grow and advance recreation services, infrastructure, and facilities for the next 10 to 15 years.
However, recreation is currently facing significant challenges amid difficult economic times, and many households are looking at recreation activities without a cost attached, such as outdoor recreation at parks and playgrounds, and passive recreation activities such as walking and biking.
“Families are making hard decisions on what they can afford to participate in,” Mr. Goldthorpe says.
He notes the Master Plan is currently in the first phase of development, and the department is currently collecting data and input from the community.
Postcards with a code to the online residential survey are being distributed to all residential mailboxes in Drumheller, and data collected at the open house will also be used to further this project.
Visit https://www.drumheller.ca/ for more information on these projects or to provide feedback on current community engagements.
