City Council Presentation December 19th, 2016

Agenda Purpose for the Strategy About the Community Associations Current City Supports Research Undertaken Recommendations Implementation & Resources

Purpose Community Associations are experiencing varying levels of success which is reflected in volunteerism and program delivery. Current system is ~40 years in the making with significant changes over that time. Includes a reduction of 23 Community Associations (linked to schools) to 7 (linked to broad neighbourhood areas). Community Associations offer valuable recreational programming/services and community events. It is important to examine the system and look for ways to ensure sustainability. 2014 Community Recreation Services Plan recommended to, “Pursue a consultative process to assess options and improve the effectiveness and efficiencies of the Community Associations in order to ensure a durable cost-effective service delivery system.”

About the Community Associations 7 Community Associations (down from 23) Beaverly Blackburn College Heights Crescents Hart South Bowl West Bowl CAs are volunteer organizations that deliver recreation programs and community development activities that strengthen communities within a specific geographic area.

Current City Supports Active Living Guide Outdoor boarded rinks – assistance, training, funding Provision of space - Shared Use Agreement with School District #57 General liability insurance Membership in Volunteer Prince George Support for online program registration Grant opportunities City staff time (~0.4 FTE) - Active Living Guide – 2x / year delivered to households and some facilities in Prince George Each CA gets mention along with programs offered and contact information - Outdoor boarded rinks - $250/maintained rink; installation and removal of boards; maintenance training Shared use agreement with School District #57 General liability insurance to cover programs and events Membership in Volunteer Prince George Support for online program registration Grant opportunities (Community Enhancement grant and myPG Community Grant) City staff time (~0.4FTE)

Research Undertaken

Public Survey 514 full and partially completed responses! Fielded online (with some hard copies available) June 21st – July 20th Promoted through City’s webpage, Facebook, media release, CAs, YMCA, TV, radio, etceteras.

Public Survey

Recommendation #1 The City of Prince George will offer supports to the Community Associations as they deliver their programs and events. City continues with supports currently offered to CAs. Additional supports may include: Volunteer recruitment and retention initiatives and strategies. Board development initiatives and strategies. Resource banks which may include lesson plans, bylaws, and promotional templates. Community needs assessment. Communications and promotions. Planning assistance.

Recommendation #2 Develop partnership agreements between the City and Community Associations. Will define the nature of the relationship between the two and will be reviewed annually. Examples of elements to include in the agreement are: Access to School District #57 facilities in accordance to the Shared Use Agreement between the School District and the City. Supports as identified in Recommendation 1. Liability insurance. Outdoor ice rink operations. Volunteer support.

Recommendation #3 Formally recognize that the Community Associations are the face of the community. This function for the CAs should be formally recognized and included in the partnership agreement. This role could include: Recreation programs & special events. Beautification projects. Neighourhood clean-ups. Fundraising. Town hall meetings. A sounding board for various issues / concerns.

Recommendation #4 Examine how to best meet the needs of areas of Prince George that are not currently represented by a Community Association. Not all areas of Prince George are currently represented by a CA. There are a number of options to explore: Look at existing boundaries of the current CAs to determine if they could be adjusted to incorporate areas currently not covered by a CA. New CAs could be established. Areas without a CA could maintain that status if residents prefer.

Implementation & Resources Interaction and communication between City and CAs. Partnerships with external organizations. Internal partnering. Funding (~$20,000). Increased staff resources.