King working on special events ‘strategy’

November 16, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons
King Township is closely knit to its community groups. To strengthen ties and make community events more efficient, staff are working on a new delivery strategy.
Councillors received the report from Jonathan Bell and Chris Fasciano of Parks, Recreation & Culture. Staff received comments from councillors and will fine-tune the draft strategy, present it to community groups and return to council in the future for final approval.
Staff, back in November 2015, made a presentation to council, noting they needed a guide to future direction and delivery of special events in King. Staff hosted consultation sessions with community organizations, gathered comments and developed nine guiding principles for their strategic direction. The idea is to enhance future community events.
The strategy includes a look at current events, challenges and opportunities, communication consultation and where the Township wants to go.
“This is a critical point for King with respect to special events as with the immediate and future growth will come more pressures to deliver additional events. A framework for how and why the municipality will support these events is needed to ensure equitable levels of service and a means to measure the impact of that investment. The Township is and will continue to be incredibly supportive of events in King and the volunteers who organize them, however, this must be done in a responsible manner.”
Staff pointed out this special event strategy is a “living document,” intended to elicit discussion and form the future strategic direction for Parks, Recreation & Culture over the next three to five years.
“It is understand that while the document is the framework to work from, adjustments based on circumstances will be required and built into the document during the review process.”
Mayor Steve Pellegrini told staff he doesn’t want to lose or deter any “seed” events that are growing in popularity in King.
Fasciano said there is an over-saturation of local events, and it’s difficult for the Township to support all of them. The strategy provides criteria for offering a certain level of support.