On Dec 15, council approved the sustainability plan. Now it’s time to implement! For a PDF of the plan, go here.

Sustainability Makes Sense

On December 15, the Town of Crossfield Council will be considering approval of the Crossfield Sustainability Plan. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the December 15 Council meeting, which will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the Multi-purpose Room at the Crossfield Community Centre (900 Mountain Avenue).

The December 15 Council meeting will serve as a major milestone for the citizens of Crossfield, particularly the members of the Vision Committee and Action Groups who have been working on the Crossfield Sustainability Plan since March 2009.

The Town of Crossfield Council will also consider recommendations from Romanesky Urban Planning on December 15 with respect to the location of the new Civic Centre. Those recommendations, which are included in a previous blog post, are based upon principles formulated by the Vision Committee for the location and design of the Civic Centre.

In a related matter, Council is pleased to announce that the Town of Crossfield has received a contribution from ENMAX in the amount of $50,000 to be used to support clean sustainable energy systems in the new Civic Centre. The Town of Crossfield Council and administration wish to express their deep gratitude to ENMAX for this generous contribution.

Vision Committee

The Vision Committee has worked hard on the formulation of Sustainability Principles, endorsement of the Vision, and ongoing community engagement. In addition to the 10 meetings the Vision Committee has held over the past 8 months, members of the Vision Committee have participated in a number of public events such as the Rodeo Breakfast, ongoing visioning at the Farmers Market, and the August 27 community Vision celebration and Action Group kick-off.

To date, a conservative estimate of the total amount of volunteer time that has been devoted by community members to the Crossfield Sustainability Plan amounts to more than 750 community volunteer hours.

Action Group Process Stage

The Action Group Process stage of the Sustainability Plan project was initiated at the community-wide event on August 27, 2009, in order to celebrate the Vision, to kick off the Action Group stage, and to recruit community members to the 4 Action Groups: Business and Economic Development; Community Planning and Smart Growth; Natural Resources and Environment; and Vibrant Community (which addressed social issues and community services).

The Action Group stage included 16 meetings during the 7-week period between September 2 and October 22. Those Action Group meetings involved more than 25 community members, including 3 Town staff members, who served as technical advisors and Town information resources.

Crossfield Sustainability Plan

The work of the Vision Committee and Action Groups will be integrated in the Crossfield Sustainability Plan, which will be presented to the public and to the Town of Crossfield Council on December 15. The results of that work include a number of key ideas and actions that can be implemented in the short, medium, and long term:

Community Planning and Smart Growth

• integrate Highway 2A with future urban development in Crossfield (short to medium term through policies in the Town’s anticipated Municipal Development Plan)
• beautify Railway Street through public improvements and architectural guidelines (short to medium term through policies in the Town’s anticipated Municipal Development Plan and Downtown and Entranceway Area Redevelopment Plan)
• dedicate a site between the CPR tracks and Railway Street for a future passenger rail station, which could be used in the interim for centralized public parking (long term through Calgary Regional Partnership initiatives and policies in the Town’s anticipated Municipal Development Plan and Downtown and Entranceway Area Redevelopment Plan)

Business and Economic Development

• improve communications among businesses to enhance local exchange of locally produced goods and services (short term, to be led by the Chamber of Commerce)
• create an eco-educational park system in Crossfield (medium term, in partnership among the Town, the Chamber of Commerce, other community organizations, and local businesses), which will attract tourism, enhance community identity, and include educational features, a campground, fishing ponds, enhanced wetlands, community gardens, and a recycling facility
• diversify the local economy (ongoing, in partnership among the Town, the Chamber of Commerce, other community organizations, and local businesses) by attracting businesses and industries such as environmental companies
• light industrial and commercial development through inclusion of mixed-use policy areas in the Municipal Development Plan and the Downtown and Entranceway Area Redevelopment Plan

Natural Resources and Environment

• preserve and protect all wetlands, creeks, and riparian areas within both the existing Town limits and the proposed annexation territory (immediate and ongoing through policies in the Town’s anticipated Municipal Development Plan)
• hold a spring 2010 eco-fair at Crossfield Elementary School (short term)
• enhance Town recycling programs to include Christmas trees (short term, possibly starting December 2009), composting (medium term, in collaboration with community organizations, schools, and surrounding agricultural operations), and construction materials (medium term to long term, in collaboration with local business and industry)
• require or promote energy and water conservation through regulations on new development (short to medium term through policies in the Town’s anticipated Municipal Development Plan) and incentive programs (short to medium term through initiatives taken by the Town in collaboration with community organizations and local businesses)

Vibrant Community

Short-term actions include:

• integrate W.G. Murdoch as a “Community School”
• initiate a business plan for a Youth Council
• initiate task-oriented Youth Projects prior to establishment of a Youth Council
• Municipal Development Plan policies to provide for housing variety
• canvas the business community to initiate more shuttle services within town and to key out of town destinations
• business plan for an Elder Council
• initiate mentorship programs for youth, seniors, and abuse issues
• coordinate Rocky View Adult Education and employer ESL Programs
• periodic arts events

Medium-term actions include:

• establish a Youth Council
• establish an Elder Council

Long-term actions include:

• establish an information centre for services, activities, and heritage
• establish a welcome committee and welcome centre, to be operated for and by new residents
• develop a community medical centre linked to seniors housing
• develop a recreation centre linked to the Community Centre
• develop an arts and culture centre with a museum

Vision Committee Civic Centre Principles

In addition to its work on the Sustainability Plan, the Vision Committee has formulated a set of principles to assist Crossfield Town Council in its decisions on the location and design of Crossfield’s new Civic Centre. These principles were presented to Council on November 2 and form the basis of recommendations to be made to Council on December 15.

Location Principles

Priority 1 — Find the Best Site: The Vision Committee encourages Town Council to make the site selection decision by March 1, 2010, and to communicate the merits of the decision to the community. Council should arrive at a “win‐win” decision that will improve relations among the community, the Town administration, and Council. This decision should demonstrate a “quick win” as one of the early actions to implement the Sustainability Plan and should be used as a catalyst to energize excitement in the community. In short, Council is encouraged to take a visionary long‐range view by thinking long‐term, looking at the whole, and seeing the connections.

The Vision Committee further recommends that if a use is replaced by the new Civic Centre, then the Town should guarantee enhancement of that use elsewhere in the community. The new Civic Centre should be developed close to or integrated with other community facilities and should be a project that can be expanded in the future. Council should act according to a long‐term plan, by building for today with future considerations in mind. It will also be important for the Town to demonstrate fiscal responsibility by minimizing land costs and any leakage of resources for unnecessary short‐term costs.

Place Making:

The Vision Committee wants to make the new Civic Centre a centrepiece for community pride, the heart of the community, and an active hub with a public square to serve as a gathering place. The new public square should be a walkable, fun, and beautiful place for celebration and civic involvement.

Here is the Sustainability Plan Status Update that was presented to council last week.

The Vision Committee has had discussions regarding the proposed new Town Hall. To read a summary of their recommendations go here. (pdf)

Preliminary Action Group Results

Several short-term, medium-term, and long-term actions have been identified by each Action Group. The work of the Action Groups is presently being integrated by the consultant team for discussion at the next engagement event on November 12. It has already become apparent that many ideas and actions proposed by the various Action Groups are consistent with each other. Although the full range of Action Group work will be presented on November 12, some preliminary results of that work include a number of key ideas and actions that can be implemented in the short, medium, and long term:

• Community Planning and Smart Growth
  • integrate Highway 2A with future urban development in Crossfield (short to medium term through anticipated policies in the Municipal Development Plan)
  • beautify Railway Street through public improvements and architectural guidelines (short to medium term through anticipated policies in the Municipal Development Plan and the Downtown and Entranceway Area Redevelopment Plan)
  • dedicate a site between the CPR tracks and Railway Street for a future passenger rail station, which could be used in the interim for centralized public parking (long term through anticipated Calgary Regional Partnership initiatives and policies in the Municipal Development Plan and the Downtown and Entranceway Area Redevelopment Plan)
• Business and Economic Development
  • improve communications among businesses to enhance local consumption of locally produced goods and services (short term, to be led by the Chamber of Commerce)
  • create an eco-educational park system in Crossfield (medium term, in partnership among the Town, the Chamber of Commerce, other community organizations, and local businesses), which will:
    • attract tourism
    • enhance community identity
    • include educational information and programs, a campground, fishing ponds, enhanced wetlands, community gardens, and a recycling facility
  • diversify the local economy (ongoing, in partnership among the Town, the Chamber of Commerce, other community organizations, and local businesses) by attracting businesses and industries such as:
    • environmental businesses (e.g., solar plant)
    • light industrial and commercial development through inclusion of mixed-use policy areas in the Municipal Development Plan and the Downtown and Entranceway Area Redevelopment Plan
• Natural Resources and Environment
  • preserve and protect all wetlands, creeks, and riparian areas within both the existing Town limits and the proposed annexation territory (immediate and ongoing through policies in the Municipal Development Plan)
  • hold a spring 2010 eco-fair at Crossfield Elementary School (short term, to be led by Principal Tammy Dikeman)
  • enhance Town recycling programs to include Christmas trees (short term, possibly starting December 2009), composting (medium term, in collaboration with community organizations, schools, and surrounding agricultural operations), and construction materials (medium term to long term, in collaboration with local business and industry)
  • require or promote energy and water conservation through regulations on new development (short to medium term through anticipated policies in the Municipal Development Plan) and incentive programs (short to medium term through initiatives taken by the Town in collaboration with community organizations and local businesses)
• Vibrant Community
  • short-term actions include:
    • Integrate W.G. Murdoch as a “Community School”
    • initiate a business plan for a Youth Council
    • initiate task-oriented Youth Projects prior to establishment of a Youth Council (e.g., bike trail design contest, youth festival ― plan one event)
    • Municipal Development Plan policies to provide for housing variety
    • canvas the business community to initiate more shuttle services within town and to key
      out of town destinations (e.g., airport, McKnight LRT)
    • business plan for an Elder Council
    • initiate mentorship programs for youth, seniors, and abuse issues
    • coordinate Rocky View Adult Education and employer ESL Programs
    • periodic arts events
  • medium-term actions include:
    • Establish a Youth Council
    • Establish an Elder Council
  • long-term actions include:
    • establish an information centre for services, activities, and heritage
    • establish a welcome committee and welcome centre, to be operated for and by new residents
    • develop a community medical centre linked to seniors housing
    • develop a recreation centre linked to the Community Centre
    • develop an arts and culture centre with a museum

This list of actions contains only a preliminary overview of the work undertaken by the Action Groups. All of the proposed actions will be presented and discussed at the next engagement event on November 12, which will include all members of the Vision Committee and the Action Groups.  Council is also invited to attend that working meeting.

A big THANK-YOU to all of you who have been contributing to process by:

• Being part of an Action Group and providing your amazing ideas.
• Posting ideas, solutions and examples on the Facebook page.
• Emailing us with your input.
• Spreading the word in the community and inviting your friends, neighbours and colleagues to become involved.
• Putting up posters and information bulletins around town.
• and more…

Your dedication and involvement will truly give the plan life!

I’ll soon be posting interim results from the Action Groups.

Just a quick note to let you know that the Action Groups have formed and that both the Natural Resources and Environment group and the Economic group are meeting today (Thursday Sept 10).

You are invited to join us and be a part of creating Crossfield’s future. The action groups will recommend actions that will become part of the Crossfield Sustainability Plan and will be the guideline for council, the town and other community organizations in deciding how Crossfield will be developed.

-Natural Resources and Environment Action Group meets at the Crossfield Community Centre, Arts and Crafts Room at 7pm Thursday Sept 10.

-Economic Action Group meets at the Town Hall at 7pm Thursday Sept 10.

For more information on the Action Groups go to http://ilovecrossfield.com/getinvolved.htm