Rossland’s Official Community Plan is quickly evolving and residents are encouraged to weigh in on their community’s future.
Council has received productive feedback already, but Mayor Kathy Moore is encourging all Rosslanders, young and old, to engage virtually online and share their thoughts and ideas.
“We have surveys out there, we’re encouraging public input, we have our advisory committee that’s been really active,” said Moore.
“Normally we get a lot of people weighing in on this and not just the usual people. There are a lot of people who are engaged in the community and they come out and that’s terrific.
“But we want to hear from the people we don’t always hear from, and we really want to get youth involved because they are the ones that are inheriting this plan and are our future.”
The direction of the Golden City’s future depends on public input, and only comes around every decade or so. The last OCP was created back in Oct. 2008 and had a very different look.
“It’s really challenging because we haven’t been able to have group meetings,” said Moore.
“Usually when we did this before in 2008 it was massive. Miners Hall was filled with people, and workshops, and everyone sticking post-it notes all over the place.
“So the first time doing it online is really challenging. But on the other hand our online tools have become much more sophisticated than the years we did this before.”
The city has a tickle trunk full of tools on its Imagine Rossland - Future Ready website.
The first two of three online workshop sessions went June 1 (Recreation, Arts, Culture and Heritage) and June 8 (Housing, Affordability, Economic Development), but residents can still register for the Infratructure, Transportation, Climate Change and Natural Environment workshop on June 15.
OCP surveys are open until June 25, and additional engagement resources include a Story Map that has garnered several ideas including creating outdoor pickleball courts, opening the reservoir for public swimming, and creating a trail link between the city and the Rossland museum and campground.
Residents are also being asked to engage in kitchen table conversations with friends and family that helps develop new ideas and prioritize best practices.
The OCP is an important bylaw that describes the long-term vision of community development in Rossland. It includes objectives and policies that guide decisions on planning and land use management, the form and character of development, as well as defining social, economic and environmental policies.
For more information, check out the “Background Information” to understand the challenges and opportunities in a variety of topics such as Housing, Growth, Infrastructure, Economic Development, Health and Well Being, Transportation, and Climate Change.
To engage your community go to https://www.rossland.city/.