Harrison Hot Springs officials turn once again to residents for an important project ahead.
The village recently launched GetIntoItHarrison.ca, a website dedicated to gathering community input, ideas and questions concerning future undertakings. The current focus is on what to do with a series of lots on Hot Springs Road and Poplar Street.
Background
In 1996, Harrison Hot Springs Council voted to rezone this site from R-1 residential to public use (who of which are purchased through the village’s Parkland Acquisition Funds). Last year, staff were given the green light to set up a public meeting regarding what to do with the site, but the meeting was not put in motion. In September of this year, councillors asked the village staff not to move forward with a standard public meeting, rather deciding on a public consultation exercise that would then be presented to council.
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The past suggestions for the lot included a civic or community centre, parking lot, public works compound or a recreation centre.
How it works
The consultation process is, as of publication, still open. To submit input, residents will be required to register; this helps ensure the findings of the consultation aren’t tainted by outside sources or internet trolls. Contact details provided will be kept confidential.
The survey itself is about 15 questions long and takes about five minutes to fill out, though it takes additional time to read the supplementary documents provided on the GetIntoIt web page. They can add helpful background information prior to going into the survey itself.
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Following the open survey period, the results will be tabulated and reviewed and finally presented to Council at a future date.
BangTheTable powers the GetIntoItHarrison website. BangTheTable was founded in the early 2000s as a way to engage citizens beyond the standard town hall meetings. It currently operates in New Zealand, Australia, India, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Roughly 10.5 million participants engaged with their local governments in communities all over the world using BangTheTable.
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