Upgrading the Fruitvale arena, turning the Montrose Village Square into an indoor play space, and developing off-leash dog parks should be among the Beaver Valley’s recreation priorities, according to a draft master plan prepared for the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary.
The document, turned in by a consultant at the end of last month, aims to guide recreation, parks, and culture services in Fruitvale, Montrose, and the surrounding rural area.
Regional district director Ali Grieve said while a more informal survey was conducted a few years ago, this is the first time the Beaver Valley has done such an “extensive and formal review” with the community about its wishes.
“These recommendations are going to help us draft our capital plans for at least the next five years, which will also be driven by increasing cost pressures,” she said.
“We hope to move forward with a couple of recommendations in 2024, including significant improvements to the food concession area at our arena and plans to improve the Montrose spray park, both of which will be very exciting for the valley.”
A virtual meeting is planned for Thursday, Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. to gather further feedback on the plan. Registration for the meeting can be found here. Anyone who can’t make the meeting can still submit feedback in writing to [email protected] before Dec. 20.
The plan breaks priorities into four areas including indoor facilities, outdoor facilities, and programming. It puts maintaining existing facilities near the top, but also suggests additions like a climbing facility and outdoor event space, and expanded recreation programming for children and youth.
Grieve said everything is on the table for now, although certain recommendations may be more challenging to implement than others, such as an off-leash dog park, given problems experienced with similar facilities elsewhere.
She said priorities will also be subject to what they can afford and mechanical upgrades that might be required at the arena.
“We hope to put as many people’s recreation dreams into action as we can,” she said.