In Person Engagement - 2023 Sportsman Show

Why and how we engaged

Community engagement is one of the five pillars established by the 2022-2026 Council Mandate. The goal is to empower the community to be actively involved in driving community affairs, by providing modern vehicles that allow for decision making, direct oversight, and engaged planning services.

The 2023 Sportsman Show was a new in-person opportunity for the Town of Cochrane to engage.

1) We had one chart asking: Where do you want budget dollars spent? Each participant was given 1 sticker to be placed on 1 of 6 options below to see what participants would like us to prioritize.

• Roads i.e. roads, sidewalks, roadside maintenance and replacement, storm sewer system management
• Snow Removal i.e. roads and sidewalk clearing and removal
• Cultural Services i.e. cultural activities and venues
• Community Well-Being i.e. community well-being such as housing, hospital, mental health, substance abuse and addiction
• Recreational Programs i.e. festivals & events, sports programs and other
• Parks i.e. parks, playgrounds, trails and beach

2) We had one white board asking: Give us your feedback. What's missing? What do we need?

The Results

1) Overall, the top priorities identified out of the 246 participants were Roads and Community Well-Being. The following breakdown provides budget priorities from highest to lowest:

• 51.62% - Roads
• 19.51% - Community Well-Being
• 10.57% - Parks
• 10.57% - Recreational Programs
• 4.88% - Snow Removal
• 2.85% - Cultural Services

2) Overall, participants wrote on the board or verbally acknowledged we should focus on our youth (programs, activities, places, etc.).

The following includes comments from the white board:

• Clear high school sidewalks (snow removal)
• RV campground
• Not enough equipment at Hillcrest Park for all ages
• Sports for kids
• Activities at the Pavilion
• Revamp the Heritage Village
• Off leash dog runs
• Park/activities for kids 10+
• Downtown improvements (beautification of buildings)
• Musical series (live)
• Arts council
• Trampoline park
• Senior housing
• More youth activities
• Horse trails
• More drug and addiction programs for mental health
• Parents and tots swim lessons
• More walking trails around Town
• Ski hill
• Bring back Live at the Lakeside
• Park benches in the shade
• Traffic calming measures at the schools
• Indoor park for the big winds and rainy days
• Cleaner lake/nicer beach
• Waterslide/waterpark
• Botanical garden
• Rollerblading path
• Splashpad