LISTOWEL – Fred Galloway was pretty impressed with the turnout.
The first of three public forums on the style of a new North Perth recreation complex was about two weeks ago at Parkview Gardens in Listowel. Approximately 30 people were there as the doors opened at 6 p.m., and the building continually filled up over the two-hour information session.
“Over 200 people (attended), which I think is pretty rare for public meetings,” Galloway said over the phone last week. “That really shows a lot of community engagement and interest.”
Galloway, of F.J. Galloway and Associates, is the author of the draft business plan for a new local facility and has been a guiding force for the North Perth Recreation Complex Committee, chaired by John Verwey.
“I thought the open house went really well. It gave everybody a good opportunity to see the facts and basically ask any questions they may have,” Verwey said.
The format was an hour of open house time to view big boards featuring Options A, B, C and D for the style and amenities of a potential new complex.
At the midway point of the night Verwey introduced Galloway to the audience, who then conducted a brief presentation of the business plan and the main differences and costs between the four models.
Afterwards, Galloway was on hand to answer questions in small groups or one-on-one.
“In terms of the questions posed to me, a lot of interesting questions about the design, location and people really wanting to understand the project, which I thought was excellent,” Galloway said.
The second public forum was last night (Jan. 24) in Atwood. Heading into it Galloway wasn’t sure what type of numbers to expect compared to the first meeting.
There’s still one to go, a week tonight (Feb. 1) at Wallace Public School in Gowanstown. All three will have the same format.
At the Listowel forum, people in attendance overwhelmingly voted in favour of Option A – the most expensive model but the biggest and with the most inclusions – to the tune of about 75 per cent, a number derived from an informal poll conducted by Banner Sports.
Official feedback was registered on comment cards. People ranked the four choices according to personal preferences and had an optional area to write down comments or concerns. ... Please read more in this weeks Listowel Banner