Editor:
Re: Other areas link fields to schools, Murphy's Law, Dec. 21
I am compelled to respond to the suggestion the Corporation of Delta should partner with the Delta school district and locate a new synthetic turf field at Delta Secondary.
Partnerships with the school district are possible when they make sense.
Locating this field at DSS does not make sense.
The new synthetic field in Ladner will be built at Dugald Morrison because it does make sense to locate the field in that park. This location meets the objectives of Delta's sport field improvement strategy in Ladner. The site at DSS simply does not allow Delta to achieve the desired objectives and does not provide the required benefit for the various user groups.
Your argument that the field would be in constant use during the day is disproved by the actual use that the DSS field gets today. Physical education is an optional class and reality is that the school field is not in constant use during the day, nor would it get optimum usage from school teams after school.
Any increase in use during the day is more than offset by the necessary reduction in field size required to fit inside the track. This does not tip the scales in favour of DSS but actually demonstrates the inadequacies of the DSS location.
The proposed field at Dugald Morrison will contain a full competition soccer field, a practice area for soccer and will also accommodate a softball field within the dimensions of the synthetic turf. Field lacrosse, rugby and football can be played if the field is lined for these sports. A field of these dimensions will not fit inside the track at DSS.
The presentation made to Delta council by staff clearly demonstrated this field would not fit within the available area at DSS. The overlay of the proposed field on the DSS grounds illustrates this point very well. Sure, you can reduce the size of the field to fit the area inside the track, however then you have a field that is not adequate.
It would not provide a separate practice area and it is unlikely that we could make softball work within the available dimensions inside the track. The DSS location also does not readily accommodate a field house for the user groups.
This reality would require a compromise that we are not willing to make, nor do I believe it is one the sports user groups would accept.
Also the improvements planned for the fields at Cromie and Hawthorne are contingent on achieving all the benefits the field at Dugald Morrison will provide. These improvements will further benefit not only soccer but also baseball, softball and other field user groups in Ladner such as field lacrosse, field hockey, rugby, etc.
The collective improvements recognize that Ladner has unique problems with field maintenance and these improvements provide a significant increase in available playing time and playability that benefits all users. This is a sport field improvement project that is unprecedented in Ladner and will serve Ladner for the next 20 years.
The Delta school district has not communicated in any way with the Corporation of Delta that it is willing and able to look at a partnership for the future development of the field at DSS. It is my view the existing track must be a part of any field development discussions and that it is incumbent on the school district to articulate a vision, including the track that might form the foundation of a future partnership.
The Corporation of Delta and the parks recreation and culture commission are open to discussions regarding a future partnership at DSS, however the immediate needs of the Ladner field users can only be met by proceeding as quickly as possible with the package of improvements presented to council in December, including a large synthetic playing surface at Dugald Morrison Park.
Coun. Robert Campbell Chair Parks Recreation and Culture Commission
