Clearview Township was looking for public comment on its new strategic planning priorities Wednesday but the information presented was so confusing that it was almost impossible to form an opinion.
The draft strategies and tactics were presented in point form without context and lacking details as to the cost, implementation and meaning.
The five key pillars recommended are recreation and culture; identity-marketing-promotion; economic activity; quality of life; and governance. They were developed by Compass Point Consulting, through facilitated discussions with the senior management team and council, with a focus on enhancing the vibrant character and quality of life within the township.
Being that it was a public meeting, the information should have been easily digestible by anyone who had not taken part in the early consultations but there were a lot of missing links.
The five pillars are divided into short-, medium- and long-term targets, planning about five years out.
Some things make sense and are already in motion, like adding signage and downtown beautification. Others are enigmatic, like “sell it, say it”. To who and what are we saying?
The priorities include hiring two new directors (recreation/culture and marketing/promotion), and adding programming, expanding public transit, it all sounds very expensive. We are told it is not known how much it will cost because that will all be figured out after the plan is approved. No private business or household for that matter would go ahead and finalize plans for anything without figuring out the cost.
Under identity-marketing-promotion, the whole strategy hinges on promoting community theatre and music, listed as a target for the short-, medium- and long-term, which seems to have come out of nowhere.
If there are bones to this strategic plan, the public did not hear about them. We were asked to comment on several incomprehensible bullet points on posters.
Still, the 20 or so people in attendance (double that if you include staff, councillors and members of the press) asked a lot of questions but also offered some suggestions.
Once approved, it was said the strategic plan would be one of the principal policy documents for the township. From what the public saw, it’s not strategic and not much of a plan.
If the point is to try to sell Clearview as a place to live, they appear to have one thing right. In the quality-of-life pillar, mixed housing stock (attainable housing and aging-in-place) is a short term goal. Seniors’ housing, retirement homes, apartments and townhouses are needed throughout Clearview. We have one type of housing and single detached homes do not suit everyone’s needs. Diverse housing is one way to free up existing housing and attract new people. It is a short-term goal worth pursuing with fervour.
For those who are wondering, the consulting fee associated with the development of the strategic plan is $24,295.