Do you get the feeling sometimes that our two arms of local government are operating like two left feet?
Last year Delta responded to the need for a second artificial turf field in Ladner by embarking on a process that culminated with the creation of the Ladner Sport Field Enhancement Plan. The big ticket item in that document is a synthetic pitch for Dugald Morrison Park, the one across the street from Delta Hospital.
There was a move afoot, one that got support from this corner, to have that turf field located at Delta Secondary instead.
The reasoning behind that effort was that placing it at Ladner's only high school would ensure the field is used throughout the day rather than having it sit idle for stretches at a municipal park.
Delta officials didn't bite, citing space restrictions among other concerns, and because it's paying the vast majority of the tab on this one, Ladner's next artificial turf field will be situated at Dugald Morrison.
Now, however, we've got the school district pitching the idea of building covered turf fields on school properties. These would be miniaturized versions of a typical artificial turf field, complete with a roof and boards, that would cost in the neighbourhood of $1 million each.
They're decidedly different from your typical turf field - less space, but protected from the elements - however they would, for the most part, serve the same constituency. And that's where I see the need for some collaboration.
There's nothing stopping Delta from building its own field and the school district from finding partners to make its covered facilities a reality too. If they both come to pass, local sports groups would be in far better shape than they are today.
Yet wouldn't it make sense for the two arms of government to get together to at least explore the possibility of meeting their goals in a consolidated fashion?
Who knows, it just might save taxpayers, and user groups, some cash.
I'm far from an engineer, but I suspect there's got to be some way to cover all, or at least a portion, of a turf field to meet both objectives.
Even if that were possible, perhaps location, in Ladner or elsewhere, would still prove to be a sticking point. Or maybe one additional facility, either municipal or school district, isn't enough and a community needs both.
I'm not sure if there are hurdles out there that can't be cleared, but I'm certain that if both arms of government continue to work in isolation, we'll never find out.
