An outdoor sport user group is worried it’s going to lose its valuable space and be left out of the City of Delta’s plan to replace the Winskill Aquatic and Fitness Centre with a new facility.
The city has started community and user group consultations on three proposed site layouts, each stating a new location would be needed for disc golf.
Having played on green space on the west side of Winskill Park for several years, the Tsawwassen Disc Golf Club is raising concerns that there is no current plan involving keeping the green space and the disc golf course.
“This is a huge concern in the BC disc golf community, but even more so for the dog walkers, runners, students, cyclists, and visitors who frequent it. The Winskill Disc Golf Park was also the first course with Metal Basket targets in all of Canada and players have come all the way from Finland to try the course and pay their respects to this little piece of disc golf history,” club member Sam Merritt told the Optimist.
“Additionally, our club was promoted to the top tier of BC Disc Golf last year and will be representing Tsawwassen in match play this August at the Jim Brown Cup, similar to the PGA Tour Ryder cup format, and will need a place to play and practice if we are to be successful in the future.”
Merritt said they have met directly with the city to discuss the future of the course and the value of the green space, and plans are in the works to meet again.
Jim Bauer, Delta’s Director of Major Capital Projects and project lead for the Winskill Renewal Project, told the Optimist the city identified early on that there are significant impacts for the disc golf course. The first meeting with community groups on the project was with representatives from disc golf to understand their needs and start to work together on a solution.
He said that while they are still at the early stages, the city is optimistic that it can support the growing recreational activity, adding the city has recently purchased five baskets that will be installed on a trial basis in Gunderson Park in North Delta this summer.
“The challenge facing the city is that there are many competing interests on the Winskill project, from swim clubs, baseball teams, disc golf users, facility users, to neighbouring residents. Everyone has an interest in how this project proceeds, and our goal at the city is to find the best approach that balances these interests, and come up with a solution that is in the best interest of the community as a whole,” said Bauer.
