The City of Delta has an unfortunate history of not completing important sports field projects.
That was the harsh assessment by Mayor George Harvie during council’s discussion Monday on the recommended site option for the Winskill Aquatic and Fitness Centre replacement and configuration of the outside playing fields, which would have deferred considering building a fourth baseball diamond until a field use analysis is completed.
Noting Winskill Park has always been meant for sports, Harvie asked council to turn down the deferral recommendation and direct staff to consult further with Tsawwassen Amateur Baseball Association and other field user groups on the park layout and plans for the fourth diamond. Council agreed with the motion, directing staff to come back with a recommendation in the fall. That report will also include additional information about the park’s trees and the city’s plans for reforestation.
“So, the project needs to include the community sports fields in the renewal project, and not later with consideration on a report on all field uses in our city. We have in the City of Delta an unfortunate history of not completing sports field projects: Cromie Park, Holly Park in Ladner, John Oliver Park which was created over 20 years ago (but) we still haven’t even finished it now. It’s mostly due to financial reasons, but recreational areas such as John Oliver, for example, desperately need to be completed to meet the growing demand for more registrations of field users and the growing diversity of the sport community that participates…,” said Harvie.
“The renewal project for Winskill needs to ensure that the field users now, and in the future, will have an adequate number of fields for their sports use, and will result in a complete sports complex renewal project,” he added.
Harvie noted the report on the number of trees that would be affected by adding a fourth diamond is confusing and seriously flawed, as many are in need of removal regardless. He also said that after a recent walk through the forested area, he found allowing disc golf is hazardous.
As far as a fourth diamond, a staff report notes “there was limited overall support by the community for this expressed through the community engagement process.”
However, letter to council from Tsawwassen Amateur Baseball Association and Tsawwassen Mixed Slo-Pitch takes a very different view, claiming the proposal to defer does not reflect the needs of the majority of park users nor the community in general.
“It is clear that the input of a vocal minority has had a significant influence on redevelopment planning and that the largest groups in our community impacted by the proposal have had their input and concerns largely ignored,” the letter states.
Noting the input provided by their combined organizations and other diamond users represents the input, as well as critical needs, of well over 3,000 Tsawwassen residents, the letter goes on to state the city is also aware of the lack of diamond availability, which is demonstrated by annual permit applications.
