The school board likes the city’s plans to put two new artificial sports fields at Thomas Haney secondary, but is rejecting the idea of an all-weather field at Eric Langton elementary.
Trustees are suggesting Golden Ears elementary instead of the latter.
Maple Ridge’s parks and recreation director David Boag said the school board was “very receptive” to the idea of converting two grass fields at Thomas Haney/Telosky Park, on Lougheed Highway, to all-weather fields.
But the school board has plans for the field at Eric Langton, located in Maple Ridge’s downtown on Edge Street.
The school board’s suggestion of an artificial field at Golden Ears elementary would mean another new field almost across the street from those at Thomas Haney.
Maple Ridge council will consider that offer at a later meeting.
“It’s all good,” board chair Mike Murray said of the plans. “But there’s some work that has to be done and some public consultation and so on, and I don’t want to get ahead of that.
“The board is quite happy about the potential investment. There were a couple things that we had suggested and are following up on.”
The city announced in early May that it wanted to convert two grass fields at Thomas Haney to artificial, all-weather sports fields. It proposed the same for Eric Langton elementary in the downtown on Edge Street. Work starts soon on the all-weather field to named after Canadian women’s soccer team player Karina Leblanc, at Merkley Park. Total cost for the four fields is about $10 million.
Valoree Richmond, manager of parks, planning and operations, said city is talking now with sports groups on the final layout and design of the fields.
A request for bids for the new field at Merkley Park, near Maple Ridge secondary, will be issued in the next few weeks with construction this summer and completion by the end of September, allowing soccer players to get on to the surface for the fall-winter season.
The city is still trying to get the federal government to transfer the $500,000 Canada 150 grant it gave for a new field in Albion fairgrounds, so that money can be applied to the costs of the field at Merkley Park. Council decided against new fields in Albion Fairgrounds because of parking shortages.
Meanwhile, Maple Ridge council is about to refocus on its separate multi-year, multi-million-dollar recreation infrastructure upgrade launched last year.
Consultant Jennifer Wilson on June 6 presents a draft report that distills the feedback received the last six months about building a $70-million aquatic centre, two new ice rinks, a museum and cultural centre and sports stadium.
Council will look at the data presented, set its priorities, and order a final report that sets out the schedule and costs.
“It’s going to provide them with data. They need to pick the priorities. It will provide them with background information to allow them to do that,” said Don Cramb, senior recreation manager.
Over the past several months, the city has held 25 outreach meetings with comunity arts and sports groups and associations.
Those groups also filled out 114 surveys indicating their prorities. The open, online feedback that on the city ‘s website that allowed anyone to give their opinion, generated 457 responses.
One of the major gauges of public opinion was the statistically valid, random mail-out survey of sent to 3,000 residences in Maple Ridge. That drew 508 responses, more than the 350 expected. That’s seen to be an unbiased representation of what the general public would like to see in new recreation facilities.
“It really gives us an idea of what the entire community is feeling,” Cramb said.
A final report stating what the city plans to build and when should be ready by July.
Meanwhile, work goes on in planning the major, $7-million renovations to the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre. That will be a 13-month process which will require the closing of the pools to allow repairs to piping, upgrades to water treatment and improvements to the decks and changerooms.
However, that project won’t start until late October, according to the city’s website.