Members of Bayside Squash Club hoping to save their home from the wrecking ball are holding a rally next week.
The event on Friday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m., will take place outside what used to be the longtime club's Boundary Bay playing facility at 6788 Corbould Rd., where the membership found itself locked out by the building's new owner.
Earlier this year, shortly after a rezoning proposal for the waterfront facility was defeated by Delta council, the building's doors were closed. A demolition application has been submitted but a permit not yet issued by Delta.
The property's owner wanted to subdivide the lot, currently zoned private recreational, to build two new single-family homes, but that plan faced vocal opposition from not only the local squash club but also clubs from around the region.
The Bayside Squash Club had been operating there for over 30 years and members appeared before council to plead their case, noting the club offered more recreational opportunities for the community than the three squash courts. Asking Delta to give the site a recreational-commercial designation to bring it to its fullest potential, the society's members warned that Delta would lose a viable recreational facility if the rezoning went ahead.
Bayside Squash Society member Louise Latremouille this week said it's all about South Delta quality of life and losing an important recreational amenity.
"Developers are determined to increase the density of our town with high rises and neighbourhoods with narrow streets and laneway homes. And if they can't get what they want, they just plough on through anyways. As is the case with Bayside," she said in an e-mail to members and the media.
During a council meeting on the application, the civic politicians were asked what Delta would do to replace the community's only squash club courts. Parks and recreation director Ken Kuntz said fulfilling various recreational needs is something his department faces all the time and a review is done on an annual basis.
Local resident and squash enthusiast Barry Clark purchased the building in 1980 to be the home of the Bayside Squash Club. He would go on to partner with Tim Saunders, who eventually became the sole owner. In 2011, Saunders, who was inducted into the Delta Sport Hall of Fame, sold the property but the new owner didn't keep it long, listing it for more than $2.5 million. It was sold to a numbered company represented by Yan Ling Wu, who sought to subdivide.
The facility is currently in poor condition and would require significant funds to have it upgraded to municipal standards, according to the community planning department.
For more information about the club check www.BaysideClub.ca.
