Draft Cultural Plan released

News — 08 February 2011

A draft of the city of Dryden’s Municipal Cultural Plan was presented to the public, Feb. 1 at The Centre.

An apt space to discuss ‘long-term vision’ for the city, a crowd of interested residents were reminded of the long, winding road by which the community arrived at its goal of a concert hall.

The result of several years of community consultations through the Municipal Cultural Roundtable and the focused efforts of city staffer Gwen Kurz, the Draft Municipal Cultural Plan is an effort to integrate cultural considerations into municipal decision-

making.

Kurz admits the wispy concepts around cultural planning has proven difficult for some to wrap their heads around.

“All through the project people have struggled with ‘culture’ and how we’re defining that and cultural planning,” said Kurz.

“That’s understandable because it’s such a broad topic. It’s about trying to find meaningful, practical and responsible ways to influence decision-making that will in turn influence the way our culture develops. Our culture changes with the demographics, with the economy, with social issues — all these things influence the way we see one another and how we work together.”

But how does such an idea work within normal city business like fixing potholes and clearing the snow from the streets?

“Even things like the built infrastructure of our city influence our culture,” she said. “Do we have neighbourhoods that are easy for people to get around in? Can they walk to where they need to go? Are there places for people to gather and spend time together? It’s in that gathering that creative ideas emerge, that community pride develops — whether that’s in a park, or in a coffee shop, or on the street downtown.”

Kurz points to the city’s growing urban aboriginal population as a key opportunity for municipal cultural planning in the city’s future.

“You can’t have cultural vitality if you don’t have social equity,” she said. “If there’s a significant percentage of the population that’s not being included, then we’re missing out. We’re fortunate to have two members from the Dryden Native Friendship Centre on the Cultural Roundtable teaching us ways to be more inclusive of urban Aboriginal people.”

Funding for the city’s municipal cultural planning role, ends as of March 31. The decision to extend the position lies with city councillors as they struggle with a difficult budget.

A former city councillor, Kurz knows her role could be a tough sell in a climate of economic restraint.

“The challenge is that the new council may not be familiar with this process, or watched it evolve over several years,” she said. “And there’s a big learning curve in order to grasp all this has to offer. There are many demands on the city budget. To try and fit into that is a challenge.”

The City of Dryden Draft Municipal Cultural Plan can be viewed online at www.dryden.ca

By Chris Marchand

By Chris Marchand The Dryden Cultural Roundtable was back in the public eye in late February, appearing at the Feb. 27 meeting of council to lobby for the formation of a ...

City’s debt level at $24 million

Councillors hear auditor’s report on 2010 financial statements, May 4 By Lindsey Enns Financial statements from the year 2010 were revealed to the public in a special City Council meeting, May 4, ...

Dryden Byelection 2012 : meet the candidates

Presented in alphabetical order: Gary Case The submission of my name for the council seat in the present byelection is neither frivolous nor foolish. With 17 years of city council experience in ...

City posts DMTS financial statements

The city of Dryden posted the 2011 financial statements for the Dryden Municipal Telephone System and Dryden Mobility, Tuesday morning. Click the links above to navigate to the financial statements. The statements ...

Wintle, Delaney join byelection race

By Dryden Observer Staff The race for a single seat on Dryden City Council has grown to seven candidates as the deadline for nominations draws near, March 30. Former Dryden Mayor Sid ...

Treasury Metals Inc. aims for operating mine within four years

Gold project could yield up to 1,000 jobs, says Norm Bush By Chris Marchand Dryden could be sitting on a gold mine if Treasury Metals Inc.’s development plans proceed to their eventual ...

Autumn Aspens, by Penny Milton. One example of a diverse collection of fibre arts in Threadworks, now on display at Dryden Museum.

Nice threads: Dryden Museum hosts fibre-arts showcase

By Chris Marchand Some of the most impressive examples of creative needlework in the nation will call Dryden District Museum home until April 14. The travelling juried exhibition features a varied collection ...

Fractured: City council struggling to find common ground on issues

By Chris Marchand In his 11 years on Dryden City Council, Brian Collins says he has never experienced a level of tension anywhere close to what he feels in council chambers ...

A message from Dryden’s city manager, Joe van Koeverden

By Joe van Koeverden, Dryden City Manager We have just completed a difficult budget process and now will need to focus on the work at hand to ensure a successful implementation of ...

A display case featuring 1980s and early 1990s -era Atari game consoles and assorted peripherals. The collection on display dates as far back as 1975 with a Coleco Telstar-Alpha. Photo by Chris Marchand

Classic consoles: Dryden District Museum exhibit explores history of video games

By Chris Marchand Go ahead, laugh all you want. There once was a time when it may have been reasonable to claim that video games were kids’ stuff. It is not a particularly ...

Cultural Roundtable pitches public art policy

City’s debt level at $24 million

Dryden Byelection 2012 : meet the candidates

City posts DMTS financial statements

Wintle, Delaney join byelection race

Treasury Metals Inc. aims for operating mine within

Nice threads: Dryden Museum hosts fibre-arts showcase

Fractured: City council struggling to find common ground

A message from Dryden’s city manager, Joe van

Classic consoles: Dryden District Museum exhibit explores history

About Author

chrismarchand

Chris Marchand is a native of Dryden, Ontario. He served his first newspaper internship at The Dryden Observer in 1998 while attending journalism studies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops B.C. He's worked desks as both reporter and editor at the Fernie Free Press as well as filled the role of sports editor at the Cranbrook Daily Townsman. Marchand was named editor of the Dryden Observer in Aug. 2009.