CITY OF PRINCE GEORGE Community Association Strategy

City Council Presentation

December 19th, 2016

i ClTYOf

PRINCE GEORGE •

Agenda

• Purpose for the Strategy

• About the Community Associations

• Current City Supports

• Research Undertaken

• Recommendations

• Implementation & Resources

i

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.” i

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.

WESI S OWL

UNNAMED

H A R I

C R E $:,.(1 E. N0T S

BLACKBURN

SOUTH ~O'i!L

' / COLLEGE HEIGHTS

Community Association Boundaries .Bo4,nirh1ryAelo'ie11o•

D •·· •··--­• - --·­• ---------• -­• -• ·"· • -·

iOT'f'Of'PfiJNCEGroll6E

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)

Research Undertaken

i

Community Association Consultation

Stakeholder Interviews

Public Web Survey

Research in Other

Communities

Public Survey

Proportion of Family Members Who

Participated in a CA Program (past 2 years)

No 61%

Yes 34%

Proportion of Family Members Who Attended A CA Special Event

(past 2 years)

Proportion of Family Members Who Used A CA Operated Outdoor Rink

(past 2 years)

Public Survey

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

The Importance of Community Associations

• Very important ~ Somewhat important LJ Neither • Somewhat unimportant • Very unimportant

39%

15%

Providing recreation programs to

you/your family

:ZO%

Providing special events to you/your

family

Making your community a better place

to live

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.

i

Implementation & Resources

• Interaction and communication between City and CAs.

• Partnerships with external organizations. • Internal partnering. • Funding (~$20,000). • Increased staff resources.