A sea of dots covered graphic posters hung inside Eagle Ridge Community Centre on Saturday during a City of Langford open house.
The dots represented residents’ use of existing recreational facilities found in the city, as well as hoped-for future amenities and public works.
“It gives us an idea of what people are thinking,” said Coun. Lanny Seaton as he strolled through the visual displays set up by city staff.
Garnering the most dots – residents were given the coloured stickers as they arrived – was a new cultural centre; still just an idea, but one that will likely be the subject of further discussion by the city, Seaton said.
Other popular dot-getters included more traffic calming measures, additional bike lanes and an indoor baseball facility.
An estimated 1,000 residents of all ages attended the open house. The adult residents who came through the displays helped with the city’s impromptu research project.
Langford’s track record on developing facilities to meet its residents’ requests is hard to ignore: most of City Centre Park, with its ice and dry-floor arenas, kids’ play park, bowling alley and top-level athletic fields, came out of discussions with residents in 2008.
Seaton pointed out that Langford was able to move quickly on building the facilities by developing business partnerships that continue to provide a revenue stream. Langford Lanes and Eagle Ridge are owned by the city but privately managed, for example, with the city receiving revenue from both.
The new YMCA-YWCA and aquatic centre to be built just up the road at Westhills is a partnership between the city, the Y and Westhills Land Corporation.
At the open house, residents Debbie and Clayton Leachman were eyeing the plans for the new pool, which would be located a short drive away.
The couple said they seldom need to drive into town anymore, especially for recreational outings with their children. Clayton noted the new aquatic centre would be a welcome addition to the mix, as he believes the old pool at West Shore Parks and Recreation is getting a bit dated.
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