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MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION AND STRATEGIC PLANNING

2017 Alexander Graham Bell Foundation (AGBF) Strategic Plan

Building on our experience in strategic planning for adaptive re-use of heritage buildings, campuses, and landscapes, we were retained by the AGBF to strategize for the future of “Beinn Bhreagh” (Scottish Gaelic for Beautiful Mountain), the summer home of Sir Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone and one-time resident of Brantford, Ontario.

This private estate is closed to the public but through our work at the site we were afforded a glimpse into the private life of one of the world’s foremost inventors and the family that nurtured the rise of the National Geographic Society. The House, maintained by the family for generations, has not been lived-in for 10 years. The grounds are majestic and overlook Bras d’Or Lake where Bell and his aviation society were the first in the Commonwealth to achieve powered flight. The entire peninsula and mountain were home to progressive social enterprise – a legacy for which the community of Baddeck remains proud.

Our job in amongst all of this history was simply to help the current guardians and related trusts, as well as Parks Canada and the Foundation, create a path forward for conservation, sustainability, and public access to the artifacts and history of this site of international importance.

2016 Durham Region Economic Development Plan

A 5-year Regional Economic Development Strategy. The strategy identifies goals, objectives, and key priorities for Durham Region and its partners in continuing to support a strong local economy. The Strategy provides a vision for economic growth in the region, identifies core business sectors, and outlines roles and responsibilities for service delivery. As a Regional Municipality created in the 1970s on a north-south axis, Durham Region has a range of different economic, land use, and growth-related pressures from south to north. This difference between southern high-density urban areas and rural communities in the Greenbelt and Oak Ridges Moraine was highlighted in round table consultations and in resulting policy choices proposed in the plan.

2019 Acadia University Athletics Complex Strategic Plan, Kings County, Nova Scotia

Acadia University has a partnership with the Town of Wolfville to maximize the advantages of “Town and Gown”. A significant tourist destination in its own right, located in Kings County, Nova Scotia, the Town of Wolfville boasts a strong tourism base and the inclusion of the picturesque Acadia campus. Sierra was retained along with partners CBCL Ltd. and FBM Architects, to review both the operations and the potential future development of the Acadia University Athletics Complex.

The University is a long-standing provider of civic services, with community membership of the centre – its indoor pool, fitness centre, 200-seat arena and gymnasium – fundamental to its operating plan and to its partnership with the City. We established that the importance of the University to Kings County as a whole justifies a more concrete approach to regional facility planning between lower tier municipalities, the County, University and the Provincial Government.