News & Updates from the park

City to Develop Master Plan
for Kilcona Park

Setting the Direction for the Next Decade

Two years ago KPDC’s Board of Directors met with the City Councillors for North Kildonan, Transcona and Elmwood, and City administrators to draw attention to a number of serious park management issues. KPDC’s Board requested that the City develop a master plan to address the concerns, which included among other things:

• increasing the size of the off-leash area to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of users
• repairing and upgrading badly damaged trails
• creating shelter belts by planting more trees
• reducing user conflict and increasing safety around the dog play area by relocating the toboggan hill

The City recently announced it has allotted $200,000 in this year’s budget to fund a master plan for Kilcona and Harbourview. The plan will identify short and long term strategies for the park for the next 10 to 20 years.

Kilcona’s aging infrastructure requires significant investment, however resources are limited. KPDC is just one of the stakeholder groups competing for these limited resources.

A formal Stakeholder Group has been established to provide input and prioritize corrective measures and improvements for the park. The Stakeholder Group is made up of representatives of key park user groups including dog walkers, runners, golfers, and cross country track, soccer and baseball teams.

Manitoba Association of Disc Sports (MODS), Perfect Circle Flying Club, Transcona Trails Association, National Cycling Association, MB Paddling Association, Bike to the Future, and Athletics MB are represented on the committee, as are immediate neighbours and businesses, residents’ associations, nearby churches and community centres, interest groups, recreation organizations, regional health authorities and elected officials.

As your representative on the Stakeholder Committee, I encourage you participate in the consultation process. It’s important for each of us, as a member of Kilcona’s largest year-round user group, to take the time to the express our views about the off-leash area if we wish the City to consider dog owners’ wants and needs as priorities and incorporate them in the master plan.

Please send your comments to the Kilcona Park/Harbourview Recreation Complex Strategic Renewal and Action Plan comment board at http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/planning/KilconaParkHarbourviewRecreationComplex/default.stm

Your comments will be made available to the consultant team and stakeholders, and will be compiled as part of the final report. Please check the website for further details, including the date and location for the Public Open House, scheduled for late April, 2013. If you would like more information, please contact me at president@kilconaparkdogclub.ca.