By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
The next step in the process to create a Town of Cobourg Cultural Master Plan comes Sept. 5, when the Community Services Division hosts a public open house to review the draft report and provide an opportunity for additional feedback.
This process is supported by a steering committee made up of key community stakeholders – as well as municipal staff and council co-ordinator of arts, culture and tourism Adam Bureau, – who are providing their insights into the municipality’s cultural needs and opportunities. To assist with the plan’s development by leading the planning process, the town has engaged the services of MDB Insight Inc., a firm which has completed more than 50 cultural plans for Canadian communities of all sizes and circumstances.
The final plan is intended to serve as a framework to guide all aspects of cultural planning, with reviews of the plan every five years.
“The Cultural Master Plan will ensure that the application of a cultural lens to municipal decision-making is understood across various municipal departments,” the press release said.
“The Cultural Master Plan will also serve to recommend changes or additions to municipal policies and guide funding decisions.”
The Sept. 5 open house will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cobourg Community Centre (750 D’Arcy St.). It will include a presentation by the consultants, followed by an engagement exercise where participants can provide comments at six stations addressing each of the strategic directions, as well as opportunity to build on the feedback provided by the groups.
Copies of the Cultural Master Plan draft report will be available at the open house – and also on-line at EngageCobourg.ca as of Aug. 23, where citizens can also provide feedback through the town’s new on-line engagement platform.
The town is asking anyone interested in attending to register by visiting http://culturalmasterplan.eventbrite.ca.
Author: Pete Fisher
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