East Ferris’ municipal strategic plan is complete and should be adopted by council at its February 14th meeting. Months in the making—the work began in November—councillors and municipal staff have been giving their all to complete a document that will help guide the municipality for the next four years.
Council held three meetings to discuss the plan, hosted an open house on January 12th to hear from the public, and received about 155 responses to a survey on the topic. This information was compiled and helped develop new drafts of the strategic plan.
See: It’s strategic planning time in East Ferris
Jason Trottier, East Ferris’ chief administrative officer, has been instrumental in drafting the plan. He noted a few themes ran through residents’ suggestions: the amount of development, improving roads, creating playgrounds, and curbing speeding.
Municipal growth “is a balancing act,” Trottier said, and many residents are concerned about losing the rurality of the region if too much development occurs. However, each year costs increase to run the municipality, so adding taxpayers helps offset those escalating costs.
Improving playgrounds is one type of development residents are behind. Trottier mentioned that plans will be made to “add amenities to the parks we have.” Possible locations include Big Moose Beach, McPherson Park, and the South Shore boat launch. Don’t expect anything massive, as playgrounds can easily run into the hundreds of thousands, but some play equipment will be planned for.
Improving roads is in the plan, as is curbing speeding. However, the later “is a tough one” for the municipality, Trottier said, as it could cost more for O.P.P service. Recently, the municipality lowered speed limits on a few routes, so similar tactics could be an option.
See: East Ferris 'leadfoots' beware — speed limits are coming down
Either way, the concerns are noted in the plan, which means the municipality will work toward alleviating those concerns by the time the next plan comes around.
The strategic plan also outlines four guiding principals the municipal council shall live by: transparency, fiscal responsibility, listening and collaborating and service excellence. Moreover, the municipality has created four main priorities, which help guide decisions regarding other plan items. Those priorities are to protect the environment, cultivate a vibrant and liveable community, support our entrepreneurial community, and maintain open and transparent governance.
Council will also plan for a new Corbeil Fire Hall, continue advocating for childcare services—"there’s a big need now,” Trottier said—and “increase seniors’ housing” as well, while adding more programs for youth in the community.
See: East Ferris checks strategic plan, aims to become more 'business-friendly'
“We’re happy with the plan,” Trottier said, emphasizing that it required much “teamwork” to complete. There are many items within the plan, but not as many as the municipality’s last one. However, last term there were “some massive” projects the town took on, including a new town hall and a new medical office.
This new strategy “is still an aggressive plan,” Trottier said, and he looks forward to working to bring the listed items to life. Staff will keep tabs on how things are progressing and present an annual report to council and the public to ensure the goals remain top of mind.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
