I was all set this week to write about my grand plan for what I think Prince George needs to better its self-image and improve neighbourhood relations. I was going to suggest that Prince George needs community rec centres like Victoria has. In Victoria, every neighbourhood and municipality has at least one rec centre that serves as the central point for activities and events in the community. And there are so many of them!
For instance, the City of Victoria has five listed recreation facilities and seven community associations listed on their website. The District of Saanich has five recreation centres listed, Esquimalt has at least one rec centre and Sooke has one major rec centre and a number of community associations and available programs listed as well.
Their recreation centres are well advertised, have great websites and are the central hubs of any given neighbourhood. Children, teens and adults all use the facilities together like one big happy neighbourhood.
I was going to say that this is what Prince George needs. We need a rec centre in every neighbourhood and all co-ordinating with each other for programming. We need these rec centres to have a centralized location on the Internet so that updates and registration information can be easily found.
Then my copy the Community Active Living Guide was delivered to my house. After flipping through the pages of this excellent little magazine, I was amazed at how many active community associations exist in Prince George. To tell you the truth, I was a bit ashamed that I haven't yet taken advantage of the programs and courses offered each season.
Our community associations are run by volunteers who care about the community we live in and volunteer their time to promote programs and activities that all of the residents of Prince George can enjoy. To the volunteers of our community associations at Beaverly, Blackburn, College Heights, Crescents, Hart, South Bowl, South Fort George, Vanway and West Bowl, I salute you. Larger communities, like Victoria or Surrey, have bigger tax bases that can support big and shiny recreation centres with pools and gyms and studios in almost every neighbourhood. Instead, our community associations are truly the heart of our city run by tireless volunteers who care deeply about the places where they live.
How great is that?
