Marwayne Sustainability Plan: Looking to the Future Version 2.0 July 2013 Table of Contents Summary 1 1. Introduction 2 About the Plan The Sustainability Plan Process in Marwayne Creating the Plan 2. Vision & Values 7 Marwayne Community Vision Marwayne Community Core Values 3. Key Initiatives 10 Land Management and Built Environment Economic Development Empowering Volunteers through Governance Safe Small Town Atmosphere Health and Social Recreation, Leisure and Culture Environment: Energy, Water and Solid Waste Management Education 4. Implementation & Monitoring 33 Creation of Action Plans Monitoring of Progress Through Indicators Conclusion: Just the Beginning Appendices 37 A: Developmental Assets B: Proposed Umbrella Governance Structure C: Community Safety Strategy D: Sample Action Plan E: Initial Indicators for Key Initiatives F: Strategic Actions Organized by Strategies from the Key Initiatives G: Annual Report Card Template H: Meetings Held Summary of the Marwayne Sustainability Plan: Looking to the Future Community Key Initiatives Vision Individuals Land Management & Built Environment Ag Society Economic Development Core Values Village Empowering Volunteers Through Community Governance Groups Safe Small Town Atmosphere Health & Social Recreation & Leisure Environment Education End State Goals Strategic Actions Monitoring of with target and Performance indicators & Annual Review Action Plan by Stakeholder Strategy Steps Resources Person Timeline Outcome/Target Responsible -1- 1. Introduction If you don’t know where you’re going…… you’ll probably end up somewhere else! Mark Twain -2- About the Plan The Marwayne Community Sustainability Plan: Looking to the Future expresses Marwayne’s commitment towards building a sustainable small town community. It provides the long-term Community Vision, Community Values, End State Goals, Strategic directions and Strategic actions. It is the overarching “umbrella document” that helps to direct all other plans. The authors of the plan are both the urban and rural communities in the Marwayne region. The Village of Marwayne Council has the responsibility of the stewardship. It provides direction for the actions over which the Village of Marwayne has jurisdictional control; helps to facilitate partnerships to address issues of wider interest; and reduces our ecological footprint. This plan brings municipal government and community grassroots groups together in support of a common initiative. The municipal sustainability planning process was viewed as an opportunity for Marwayne stakeholders to look long-term at the community they want and take proactive steps to build the future they desire. It provides a process for the community members to find solutions that address the social, cultural, economic, environmental, and governance challenges they are facing today while leaving a positive legacy for future generations. The Sustainability Plan is a framework within which innovation and ideas will be encouraged as together the community learns and adapts to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. The Sustainability Planning Process in Marwayne Introduction The Village of Marwayne is located in the County of Vermilion River No. 24, approximately 33 km northwest of Lloydminster, and 240 km east of Edmonton (Figure 1). The community is situated approximately 18 km north of the Yellowhead Marwayne Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 16) and along the south side of the former Canadian Pacific Railway line that connects Lloydminster and Edmonton. Alberta Highway 45 connects Marwayne with the Saskatchewan border to the east. Highway 897 connects Marwayne with Figure 1 Whitney Lakes Provincial Park to the north, and the Village of Kitscoty and Highway 16 to the south. The region to the north is also referred to as “The Lakeland Region” due to its numerous lakes and rivers. Marwayne is located in an area with many economic opportunities and is in a position to increase its existing sustainable economic base. The area is renowned for its agricultural production, and recent oil and gas exploration is providing an opportunity for growth in Marwayne and the surrounding area. -3- Federal and Provincial Context There are a number of federal and provincial initiatives that have influenced the writing of this plan. In 2005, the Federal Government introduced a new funding source for municipalities known as the New Deal for Cities and Communities or, the Gas Tax. This funding required that every municipality adopt a set of sustainability values that addresses these interdependent dimensions: economic, environmental, social and cultural”. Therefore, the expectation that each community would create an integrated community sustainability plan (ICSP) to address their future needs was set into motion. As a consequence of the federal action, the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) developed a comprehensive guide outlining what an ICSP should look like and how a municipality should go about developing one. The AUMA added the fifth component to the federal ICSP – Governance. In the preliminary stages of this plan, stakeholders investigated funding sources for the purposes of hiring a manager for the recreational facilities. Rural Alberta’s Development Fund criteria states that the Fund is particularly interested in projects that were developed through a comprehensive planning process (e.g. Municipal Sustainability Plans). Through the Municipal Sponsorship Grant, the Village was able to hire consultants and Municipal Planning Services to: . regionally review the current plans, practices and policies of land use . then using that information, review and update the Village of Marwayne’s Land Use Bylaw . develop plans and policies to address growth pressures while ensuring sustainability The outcome of this project was to have growth pressure documents: the Municipal Development Plan, Area Structure Plan and Land Use Bylaw, which prepare Marwayne to handle the Vermilion River Region’s current booming economy. Heather Nickel of the Department of Culture and Community Spirit has provided facilitation and consultation throughout the public participation meetings and strategic planning process. Finally, the Village of Marwayne was chosen as one of eight communities to participate in the pilot project, First Impressions Community Exchange (FICE) delivered through an AUMA and Alberta Employment and Immigration partnership. FICE provides a basis for ongoing collaboration and an opportunity for local businesses and organization to develop and champion action plans that address areas of need and opportunity. Background and History The Marwayne community has been working at different aspects of sustainable planning over the last seven years. In 2001, the Village of Marwayne Council chose to look to the future and accepted the responsibility to demonstrate leadership in the area of long-term, strategic, sustainable planning for Marwayne. A process to review the options and opportunities in economic development was begun. With the support of the leaders, decision-makers and residents of the Marwayne community, a framework was developed. The process involved the community -4- openly sharing their ideas about our common future and developing the first mission and vision statements. In October 2004 Council assessed how to address the 2001 projects that had reached a stalemate. The quote from Alberta’s Rural Development Strategy “A Place to Grow” describes Council’s view: Economic development and community capacity are directly linked. Unless the necessary capacity, quality of life and infrastructure are in place in rural communities, it is unlikely they will be able to attract and retain new businesses and industries. A combination of actions and strategies are needed to build local community capacity and strong community leadership and to support active community volunteers, local initiatives and opportunities. Council made the decision to embark on the process of preparing a Long Range Plan to promote sensible and logical decisions. The Long Range Plan “Growing our Community” set a foundation to more specific strategies. The document was taken to the public for input and finalized on October 24, 2005. In November 2005 a strategic plan was developed based on the 2001 framework, the 2005 “Growing our Community” and Council visioning sessions. The Strategic Plan 2006-2008 document reflected the community planning and sentiment to that point. It focuses on: Planning for Growth and Change Safe and Caring Community Addressing Service Needs Pursuing Operational and Organizational Excellence Creating the Plan The process of creating the Plan began with Council seeing a need to coordinate all our planning documents: Long Range Plan, Strategic Plan, and Industrial & Commercial Growth Plan. To develop statutory documents, Council directed Municipal Planning Services to create a Municipal Development Plan (MDP), an Area Structure Plan (ASP) and update the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) through public input and consultation. Therefore, the first public consultation was held on February 28, 2008. The desire to take immediate collective action to address the recreational facilities labor issue was expressed that evening. Responding to the enthusiasm of the citizens, the Agricultural Society took on the role of lead organization for development of the Plan with Village Administration assistance. In the early planning stages of addressing the recreational facilities labor issues, it was determined that funding agencies are