Dear Editor,
[RE: LETTER – More sports facilities are essential, June 6, The News]
I went to the initial information session one day after council announced that the Maple Ridge Golf Course had been notified that its lease to continue operations would be ending.
Following that we are encouraged to have our say.
I spoke with three city workers at that session, none of whom reside in our city of 100,000.
When asked where else this aquatic centre could be located, we were told that there was nowhere else suitable to build one in a growing city of 268-square kilometres.
I agree with Mr. Whitelaw that the city has fallen behind. More facilities are needed and soon.
However, I find his orchestrated script very similar to the boilerplate letter I received back from city council’s rep.
No golfer wants to lose the only golf course in Maple Ridge. The neighbourhood seemed totally opposed to the congestion the aquatic centre would bring to the neighbourhood, and the noisy pickleball courts, as well.
My suggestion is to think outside the box.
We have numerous schools with infrastructure in place. Perhaps two small wave pools on elementary school land and one or two lap pools attached to high schools?
Multi-use, spread out throughout the city.
This way everyone (students by day- the public in the evenings and weekends) can enjoy aquatics, not just the future densely populated Lougheed Corridor.
The year-round golf course would stay open to citizens of all ages and you wouldn’t have to move the seasonally used baseball fields.
My advice would be to stop kowtowing to the Metro [Vancouver] board’s growth model and start looking after the 100,000 citizens who chose to live in this quiet bedroom community.
Darryll McDonald, Maple Ridge
[Editor's Note: Maple Ridge has two golf courses, the second being Hacker's Haven.]
