CARLYLE - The Town of Carlyle is pleased with the response to its recent open house sessions and an ongoing community survey.
Approximately 50 people attended the open houses at Carlyle's Memorial Hall on March 7 and 10. Participants provided feedback on how they would prioritize the town’s financial investment in existing cultural and recreational facilities. They also explored the opportunity to develop a new multi-use community centre.
The Carlyle Public Library, Curling Club, Golf Course, Sports Arena, Swimming Pool, Memorial Hall and the Rusty Relics Museum were the venues covered.
Chief administrative officer Natalie Miller said the town decided to have the open houses after looking at the conditions of the recreation and culture facilities. Some of them need more attention than others.
"Council decided to reach out to the public to get some feedback on what they are looking for, which facilities they're looking for improvements in, and where they would spend their taxpayer dollars if they were allocating money," Miller said in an interview with the Observer.
The pool, for example, needs some repairs that will probably take place this summer. The town wanted to know if the other facilities are meeting the needs of the community.
People from the White Bear First Nations, Good Birds Point, and the Rural Municipalities of Moose Mountain and Moose Creek also turned out for the open houses, too, showing interest exists beyond Carlyle.
"It was good to see people from outside of our immediate community. They're also users of our facilities, so their feedback is important as well," said Miller.
The majority of the people attended the March 10 open house.
Town council, administration and Colliers Project Leaders are organizing the public engagement sessions. Last summer, the town engaged Colliers Project Leaders to undertake a feasibility study of all of the community recreation and cultural facilities.
In a news release, the town said responses from the open house and the online surveys confirmed that there is interest in investing in Carlyle’s existing cultural and recreational assets, and further exploring the development of the community centre, which is still in the concept phase.
"When we contemplated the possibility of replacing some of our facilities, we costed out, at a high level, two different scenarios. One was a multi-purpose community centre, a walking track and an event space and a commercial kitchen as one project. As Phase 2, we costed out a new arena. And those are open to interpretation, ideas and suggestions," said Miller.
Those who are still interested in providing feedback can complete a three-minute online survey that is open until March 20. Community members can access the survey through the town's website, www.townofcarlyle.com, or by scanning the QR code on the mailers sent last month.
The survey asks such questions as how often people visit each attraction in the past year; the importance of each venue; whether each facility needs to be upgraded, replaced or left alone; and how they would allocate $10 between the seven amenities if given the chance.
Miller said they are nearing the 200-survey mark. The town wants to have as many responses as possible so they can get an accurate gage of the community's desires.
Once the online survey component is complete, the information will be compiled and it will go back to town council for consideration later in the spring.
