March 31, 2011
Town to upgrade old
field?
by Vance Gutzman
Last year's World Cup may have been a boon to soccer registration, but
the kicker is that the Deep River and Area Minor Soccer Club (DRAMSC)
is running out of room.
In a report to town council, Deep River recreation manager Shelly Cull
said the DRAMSC is outgrowing the town's present soccer facility at
Grouse Park, with respect to both field space and public accommodation.
The problem stems from the fact enrolment in the club's soccer programs
has been growing by leaps and bounds.
There were, for example, 310 participants (along with more than 60
coaches and convenors) in the programs for the 2009-10 season, compared
to 232 participants just two years earlier.
In order to handle the overflow, the DRAMSC is asking the town to
revive the green space in Bill Rounding Park (formerly Cedar Park),
turning it into a safe field for playing soccer.
The soccer club would then use that field for its Under 10 program.
But the costs of bringing the soccer pitch there up to par, including
the grass cutting, field lining, portable washroom and parking
facilities, could run in excess of $18,000, Cull noted.
The bulk of that cost would come in the form of simply levelling the
land and doing the necessary surface work to ensure the fields would be
safe to play on.
That work in itself would come in at around $15,000, but historical
precedent, according to Cull's report, suggests that may not be an idea
the town would want to sign onto right away.
That's because the last time the town spent any great deal of money
upgrading the field was 12 years ago.
Back then, Cull noted, the town spent in excess of $5,500 (not
including the cost of topsoil) to bring the field back up to scratch.
"All this work and money went into a playing surface that within two
years was back to its original condition," Cull stated in her report.
"The soil is extremely poor for a surface such as a good standard
soccer pitch."
With that in mind, and with the potential $18,000-plus in current costs
also in mind, Cull suggested that another option for the town would be
to hold off on making a decision now, and instead wait for the snow and
frost to come off the field at Bill Rounding Park.
At that time, she suggested, the town could meet with the soccer club
at the park to determine if the playing fields are wheaten, and need to
be started from scratch (with the large sticker price), or whether
their condition isn't quite so bad that they couldn't be fixed up with
remedial work like rolling and filling in low areas with topsoil.
That could end up costing the municipality just under $4,000, instead
of more than $18,000.
Cull is recommending that as the preferred option and appears to have
the support of town council.
"You want to keep as many options open to you as possible," Mayor David
Thompson said.
"I think a recommendation to spend $18,000 on topsoil is probably not
the way we want to go."
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