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You can help shape the future of community services in Huntsville.
The Town of Huntsville is creating a Community Services Master Plan and staff want your feedback.
Whether you have suggestions about programs that are currently running or want to contribute ideas for how to make Huntsville a more enjoyable place to live, they want to hear from you.
“It’s important for the community to have input in order to meet the needs of Huntsville,” says Simone Babineau, Huntsville’s director of community services. “The timing of this is actually perfect as we are recovering from a pandemic and we will come out of COVID ready to recover, rebuild, re-invent, and build resilience.”
Conroy Park (Town of Huntsville)
Huntsville’s community services division provides a wide range of affordable programs and services that enhance quality of life for residents, newcomers, and visitors. These programs and services include arts, culture, and heritage and associated facilities like the Algonquin Theatre and Muskoka Heritage Place; sport, recreation, and aquatics and the spaces where they take place; community hall rentals and special community events; and parks and outdoor spaces.
Port Sydney community hall
“The goal of the master plan is to help shape Huntsville’s future community services and what we offer for our residents and visitors,” says Babineau. “When staff bring issues forward it doesn’t carry the same weight as when it comes directly from community members so the plan will help us create long term strategies.”
Master plans are tangible and act as visible statements of where community services are now, where they should be in the future, and what is required to get there. The process will develop a clear and solid set of recommendations as well as an implementation strategy for both the short-term and long-term.
Centennial Pool (Town of Huntsville)
“These services are essential for the mental and physical well-being of our community,” says Babineau. “Because of how difficult the last year has been with restrictions put on so many of our programs and services, we are really pushing to make sure they are able to be carried out safely while following the rules. Huntsville wouldn’t be Huntsville if it weren’t for services like these.”
Pickleball is a popular activity at the Canada Summit Centre
In addition to interviews being conducted with program facilitators, key partners, and town staff members, the majority of the data for the Community Services Master Plan will come from an online survey that the town is encouraging everyone to complete. The consultant, an impartial third party who has prepared more than 300 similar master plans, will return a draft plan in early fall. It will be presented to council before the end of 2021.
Babineau says so far the response to the survey has been amazing and they are looking forward to more submissions.
The survey is available at myhuntsville.ca until June 20.
If you have any other questions or input please email [email protected].
This is a sponsored story paid for by the featured advertiser.
In agreement with Karen Litchfield. #1 – more green space.
What about installing some outdoor shuffle courts. Would be a great outdoor activity fir all but especially for seniors.
Shuffle courts are very popular and well used in Florida many by Canadian snowbirds.
They would be a good mix with the pickle courts being proposed
Avery Beach boat launch, requires more parking. I am a local resident and have had to go elsewhere several times, due to full capacity. My wife and I truly enjoy what Huntsville waters offers it’s residents and hopefully parking expansion is an option in the near future.
Thank you,
Pascal Zanetti
See what Bracebridge is doing — OUTDOOR RINKS and multi use facilities. Not $$’s spent on 1 individual sport . If you build pickleball courts, be ready to flood them to use for another sport. After all, lines were drawn on the JACK BIONDA for another sport ?? Have basketball nets at 1 of the pickleball courts. The area behind the concession stand at the ball diamonds is perfect for a huge outdoor rink. Its already got washrooms / parking / covered sitting area / lights / Im assuming District water. WHY cant that happen??. In Bracebridge they have MORE than 1 outdoor rink ???? BTW, I am NOT against pickleball. I think its great that there are a large number of people who play it here in town. However I feel multi use outdoor facilities is the road we need to be driving down with the Town checkbook. Just like in Bracebridge , I have a feeling a large number of business owners in Huntsville , including myself, would step up to help . That check may not to be that big with locals donating $$ , time and materials. Just my local opinion of course.
Karen Litchfield is spot on. I live in Whistler/Vancouver but am from Huntsville and visit often; I see the difference first hand. Park space is needed, develop the property Huntsville owns, put docks on right of ways and purchase prime parkland with all the $ you are getting from development. I was dismayed by the lack of public space and bike trails in Huntsville when I was home last summer.
I would really like to see an outdoor arena built as well as a proper boat launch. The outdoor rink could be used as a basketball court in the summer. The boat launch is well over due since the town closed the launch by Camp Kitchen Road.
Huntsville needs to maintain what green space it has & purchase more if available. Mountain Bike trails & road bike lanes are needed. Thanks to Lake of Bays township, the ski hill & private land owners, the hmba can now advertise official trails. The town should look into purchasing the property behind the Fairy Vista trail, to develop Mt. Bike, snowshoeing & hiking trails. The town should be promoting an active community and offering outdoor activities to its residents. It would be awesome if one could ride/hike from the ski hill trails to the trails at ‘Lance’s’ (a private land owner who is allowing hmba to develop trails). A water park/splash zone for families to take their kids to enjoy in the summer months would benefit the many families who don’t live on a lake. Creating an outdoor ice rink up at the lookout field &/or at public access areas on the lakes; so hard to believe we didn’t have any outdoor rinks available to its residents this winter! Any family moving to the Muskoka area is more likely to choose to live in Bracebridge over Huntsville, as they offer a lot more in the area of recreation. A community recreation Center with basketball/volleyball courts, a climbing wall, indoor soccer facility & new curling rinks would be an asset. Lighting on at least one of our soccer fields. Keeping current on what recreation is popular & that is accessible to a variety of age groups is essential.