City Begins Strategic Planning for Arts, Culture & Heritage

File Number
#2017-04

Pitt Meadows, BC – Pitt Meadows Council approved a plan this week to engage with the public to build a new strategic plan for arts, culture and heritage in the community. The new Strategic Plan will be a guiding document that will provide the groundwork for the development of the City’s first Cultural Plan.

“The Strategic Plan is a significant step towards developing a comprehensive cultural plan for Pitt Meadows that will integrate and leverage the City’s cultural resources, such as facilities, events, organizations, and individuals, and including them in community planning,” said Mayor John Becker.

“Council is pleased to support this step in building the community’s very first Cultural Plan.”

The Cultural Plan will establish a cultural vision for Pitt Meadows that will assist in the identification of municipal and community priorities for building the arts, culture and heritage sectors within the community. The plan maps out Pitt Meadows arts and cultural assets, needs, opportunities, resources and priorities to help create strategies and action plans for the community to further develop arts and culture in Pitt Meadows.

As part of the process, the City will be conducting a community wide dialogue through surveys, Cultural Roundtable discussions, Cultural Cafés, and more. These will be held throughout the community to examine issues, trends, and gaps, and to explore what residents would like to see as part of the City’s cultural services. Participants will include artists, arts and culture groups, organizations and businesses including stakeholders, as well as all community residents. This dialogue will then transform into an action plan for cultural development to be implemented over the next five years.

The first phase of the plan is already well underway, beginning with a cultural mapping and scanning process that identifies the City’s cultural resources and assets such as facilities, activities, events, organizations, and individuals, including Katzie First Nation, followed by an assessment of those resources.

“This new strategic plan will be first and foremost focused on the artists and citizens of Pitt Meadows,” said Susann Sigmund, the City’s new arts, culture & heritage coordinator.

“Staff are excited to work with the community, and partner with non-profit societies and groups that want to offer arts and cultural services and events in Pitt Meadows. This will truly be a ‘made in Pitt Meadows’ plan.”

The City will provide updated information on the process and opportunities for public input on arts, culture and heritage at www.pittmeadows.bc.ca/artsandculture.