Delta council at its upcoming meeting on Monday (Sept. 23) will consider a staff proposal on a layout for redeveloped Winskill Aquatic and Fitness Centre site that can accommodate a fourth baseball diamond.
Following direction from council earlier this summer, staff engaged in further consultation with Tsawwassen Amateur Baseball Association and other user groups about the layout of the sports fields.
The result of those discussions is a proposed plan that accommodates the needs identified by the field user groups, including a pinwheel design for baseball diamonds, enhanced pedestrian safety infrastructure and an outdoor washroom and concession area, the city notes in a news release.
“Since receiving direction from Council, staff have had a number of productive meetings with Winskill field user groups, and the outcome of these discussions is a plan that provides for the future of field sports in the community as well as a new aquatic and fitness centre,” said Jim Bauer, Director of Facilities and Major Projects.
City staff are seeking council’s endorsement of the plan, as well as direction on timing for construction of the fourth baseball diamond. Following council’s decision, work would commence on preparing the site, which will include the implementation of field realignment and development.
Council at its previous meeting turned down a deferral recommendation and directed staff to consult further.
As far as a fourth diamond, a staff report at that time noted “there was limited overall support by the community for this expressed through the community engagement process.”
However, a letter to council from Tsawwassen Amateur Baseball Association and Tsawwassen Mixed Slo-Pitch took a very different view, claiming the recommendation to defer did 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.
The latest recommendation from staff also proposes exploring alternate locations for a new disc golf course in Delta.
