Cobourg Cultural Master Plan Process will be Launched in November
Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Cobourg’s Cultural Master Plan may be at an early stage of its development, but manager of recreation and culture Christopher Elliott still took a few minutes at Monday’s council meeting to offer an update.
There will be five overarching objectives, Elliott said – to assess the health of the town’s cultural sector, to examine the town’s current involvement with the cultural sector, to deepen the engagement of residents with all forms of culture, to identify service gaps and improve over-all cultural service provision and strategies, and to identify specifically the town’s future role in the cultural sector.
He also hoped to convey certain key messages – that Cobourg is a great place to make a living, for example, and an even greater place to make a life.
“The plan will support the town’s cultural identity, engage citizens and continue to improve the quality of life now and into the future,” Elliott said.
While it’s easy to reach those with a pre-existing interest in the cultural community, he said, “we want to reach out beyond the converted.”
A public launch event will be planned for November, leading up to an initial media release and web page. Input will be gathered through surveys, open houses, key stakeholder interviews and focus-group meetings.
Elliott had begun his presentation with a quote from a man named Richard Florida – “Places that work at attracting people prosper. Those that fail, don’t.”
It really struck a chord with Councillor Deb McCarthy.
“If the artists move in, the community prospers – that has been proven time and time again,” McCarthy said.
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