Recreation, Parks and Culture Master Plan - Town of Ajax

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Recreation, Parks & Culture Facilities Preschool / Early Childhood Development Rooms The Town provides supervised drop‐in spaces for children up to the age of 10 at the Ajax Community Centre (Little Friends program room) and the McLean Community Centre. As part of the new multi‐use facility, the Town should offer preschool programming rooms similar to the model employed at the MCC and ACC. The provision of drop‐in children’s facilities is seen as a beneficial component of a community centre as the lack of child supervision can be a barrier to participation for certain facility users (i.e. parents who do not have access to child supervision services). lifestyles. The Town’s training clubs are well positioned to respond to these demands through the availability of equipment and studio‐type spaces. Even though the private sector has become the leader in providing fitness centres and training clubs, it is recommended that the Town continue its role in providing affordable and differentiated fitness facilities so that residents continue to have a choice of where to engage in their fitness activities. Action Plans: The provision of preschool programming rooms at new leisure facilities is encouraged so that the inability to find suitable child supervision does not become a barrier to the participation of caregivers in municipal leisure programs, while also providing opportunities for early childhood development. Training Clubs / Fitness Studios Two municipal training clubs are offered at the McLean Community Centre and the Ajax Community Centre. Both facilities are fully equipped with exercise machines and cater to weighttraining and aerobic fitness. These community centres also contain fitness studios with wood‐sprung floors that accommodate active living and wellness programming. The ACC also offers four squash courts which are available for use by the general public and for club play. Given trends towards active living (i.e. the integration of physical activities into an individual’s daily routine), the Town should continue to expand its focus, over time, on such programs that facilitate health benefits associated with physically active Active living opportunities appeal to a great number of older and younger adults as well as the teenage market. For example, the health‐related benefits of spiritual‐based fitness (e.g. yoga, tai chi, dance, etc.) have been well documented and have been observed to be popular from the teenage to senior years. The Town should also consider active living opportunities in outdoor spaces such as parks by incorporating appropriate features (e.g. stretching stations, exercise zones, jogging loops, self guided walking trails, etc.) in those particular settings. Action Plans: The Town should prepare a business plan to determine the feasibility of including a training club as part of a new multi‐use community centre. MONTEITH BROWN PLANNING CONSULTANTS in association with Tucker‐Reid & Associates & The JF Group April 2008 Page 25
Recreation, Parks & Culture Facilities As part of a new multi‐use community centre, the Town should include an active living studio and an indoor walking track to encourage physical activity during all seasons and among all age groups. The Town should include a small‐scale fitness facility at the St. Andrew’s Community Centre that is specifically for the use of the older adult population. At a minimum, this should include a studio space with wood‐sprung floors and sufficiently high ceilings to accommodate a range of fitness programs. The Town should evaluate new and existing outdoor community spaces for their ability to accommodate active living and wellness programming opportunities as a means to add value to open spaces through encouraging passive recreation. The Town should continue to develop innovative and interesting programs that will respond to the needs of its growing population, particularly the older adult market. The Town should also consider ways to engage residents of different ethnic backgrounds in order to encourage physical activities that appeal to a wide range of residents. Gymnasiums The only municipally‐owned gymnasium is located at the McLean Community Centre, however, the Town facilitates community access to four community schools through an agreement with local school boards. A service target of 1 municipally‐owned gymnasium per 50,000 residents is sufficient to meet the needs of the population and will allow the Town to maintain a degree of authority over operations and scheduling (whereas this is not always possible in school‐owned gyms or shared facilities). Based on a 1:50,000 target, Ajax would require a second municipal gymnasium by the year 2009. It is recommended that the Town provide a municipal gymnasium at the new multi‐use community centre and even though this is expected to occur in 2011, short‐term gymnasium needs are expected to be met through continued access to community schools. Action Plans: The provision of a full gymnasium is recommended for inclusion as part of the first phase of development for the proposed multi‐use community centre. This would assist in augmenting programming opportunities at school gyms which may not otherwise be available for certain users. The Town should make every effort to maintain community access to school gyms to serve any neighbourhood‐level demands. Indoor Turf The Town does not own or operate an indoor turf facility. Municipalities are increasingly entering into the realm of providing indoor turf facilities due to the significant growth in indoor soccer, however, these facilities are not generally considered to be a standard level of service as of yet. MONTEITH BROWN PLANNING CONSULTANTS in association with Tucker‐Reid & Associates & The JF Group April 2008 Page 26
Page 2 and 3: Town of Ajax RECREATION, PARKS & CU
Page 4 and 5: Table of Contents Table of Contents
Page 6 and 7: Executive Summary Executive Summary
Page 8 and 9: Executive Summary • Expansion of
Page 10 and 11: Strategic Direction Chapter 1: Stra
Page 12 and 13: Strategic Direction 1.5 Master Plan
Page 14 and 15: Strategic Direction Goal 3: Facilit
Page 16 and 17: Strategic Direction Goal 7: Enhance
Page 18 and 19: Master Planning Context Chapter 2:
Page 20 and 21: Master Planning Context 2.2.2 House
Page 22 and 23: Master Planning Context 2.2.4 Key I
Page 24 and 25: Master Planning Context activity an
Page 26 and 27: Recreation, Parks & Culture Facilit
Page 58 and 59: Service Delivery Chapter 4: Service
Page 60 and 61: Service Delivery The following Serv
Page 62 and 63: Service Delivery Criteria for Succe
Page 64 and 65: Implementation Chapter 5: Implement
Page 66 and 67: Implementation 5.2.2 Facility‐Spe
Page 68 and 69: Implementation ID # Action Plan Ran
Page 80 and 81: Implementation 5.2.4 Actions Requir
Page 82 and 83: Implementation 5.3 Capital Costing
Page 84 and 85:
Implementation Table 4c: Multi‐Us
Page 86:
Implementation Table 5c: Other Requ
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Recreation, Parks and Culture Master Plan - Town of Ajax

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