Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services
Inuvik (Jun 15/01) - Garbage was a hot topic during a vision-planning workshop last week.
More than 20 people attended the June 6 meeting at the Midnight Sun Recreation Centre, and heard from two officials hired by the town to conduct a long-term plan for Inuvik.
People broke into groups to discuss their ideas about a shared vision for the town, as well as what items were more important.
Garbage was deemed the number one priority. Discussion focused on proper disposal of garbage, as well as cleaning up the town dump, and expanding the recycling program getting under way.
The current garbage cleanup by members of the community was mentioned, but some cited a need for a change in attitude so that in the future there would not be so much litter to pick up.
The second priority agreed to at the meeting was a need to maintain and expand the existing trail system, and perhaps add more parks.
The third priority was to have Jim Koe Park become more of a gathering spot for members of the community.
The fourth priority was to focus more efforts on welcoming people to the community. Methods suggested included sprucing up and adding to the current welcome sign, as well as posting more signs along the road handy the airport.
Mayor Peter Clarkson said the meeting went well.
"The people that turned out were pretty excited," Clarkson said. "It was good to get a good cross section of the community there and participating."
Setting goals
After the meeting, David Brown of Gibbs and Brown Landscape Architects Ltd., and Simon O'Byrne of Armin A. Preiksaitis and Associates Ltd. revealed they will devise a plan for the town to follow.
"We're going to come up with some short term, medium term and long term goals and strategies," O'Byrne said.
"Some of the more immediate ones can be things like the development of the gateway, a theme -- and then from that theme will emerge things like lighting, landscaping."
Brown said they might have the plan sent to the town's beautification committee within a month. He noted some of the beautification efforts the town has made already, such as putting up banners and cleaning up litter.
"Some of the efforts being taken are great," Brown said.
"The interaction of people within the community is wonderful," he said.
"It's a unique place."
