The original plan was to hold an open house, where citizens could talk with city staff on what they hope to see in a new multi-purpose facility.
With COVID-19 throwing a wrench in these plans, the city is instead conducting both an online survey and a fillable survey in the May 6th edition of the Selkirk Record, where citizens can voice their opinions and concerns.
“Ultimately it’s the citizens of Selkirk that will be using this facility, so we want to give them every opportunity to have a say in what goes into it,” said Brady Clark, Director of Culture, Recreation and Green Transportation.
“Obviously in person engagement was our ideal first choice, but this survey will ensure public input is going to play a huge role in the final decision.”
Building in our downtown
The City’s Recreation Master Strategy, created back in 2016, recommended the development of a multi-purpose facility that will likely be located at the site where the Selkirk Arena and Memorial Hall currently sit.
“This is a big investment in the heart of our downtown. Our Strategic Plan calls for the city to provide the best recreation opportunities for our residents, and we want to collect as much information as possible so this facility is used to its full potential,” said Clark
While this feasibility study will help the city choose what goes into the facility, it will also help determine what’s possible on both a space available and financial standpoint.
“The community can really help narrow down the core services they’re looking for, but some things may be out of reach,” said Chief Administrative Officer Duane Nicol.
“That’s why we’re really encouraging the public to participate. The more engagement from the community we get, the more knowledge we’ll have when we need to start making these big decisions.”
The city brought on Republic Architecture to help with the process and to help with the survey.
Getting everyone involved
The city chose these two mediums to reach the maximum amount of people said Selkirk’s Marketing and Communications Coordinator Riley Aisman.
“There’s still a lot of people who get their news from the weekly newspaper. Not everyone is comfortable with technology or have easy access to the internet — we don’t want to exclude those people in having their opinions heard,” said Aisman
The online survey can be filled out here. The survey in the Selkirk Record can either be dropped off in the secure mailbox at the Civic Office, or mailed to us directly at 200 Eaton Ave, Selkirk MB R1A0W6.
We ask citizens to please only fill out the survey once, and to be honest with your answers.
