In the race to hook provincial grants for the community's proposed turf fields, District of Squamish officials recommend playing the tortoise rather than the hare.
"In consideration of a number of new project uncertainties, staff are encouraging council to consider a 'go slow' approach for the completion of detailed design work," the field's consulting project manager Greig Garland told council on Tuesday (Feb. 7).
The municipality is hoping to get a chunk of the $30 million Premier Christy Clark promised to B.C. recreation projects last September. With an application in for $400,000 to $1 million, starting any construction on the Brennan Park field before knowing the application's outcome could jeopardize the grant request, warned Brian Barnett, general manager of engineering and parks.
"Granters like to realize that you can't start the work without the money," he said, noting the district expects a response by March.
A million dollars has been set aside for the project - $500,000 from the Sports Legacy Fund, $400,000 earmarked in the district's 2011 budget and $100,000 was raised by the Squamish Soccer Association. Estimates place the construction of a single turf field between $1.3 million and $1.8 million, not including lighting, parking and features such as washrooms, change rooms and fencing, Garland said.
The anticipated annual recurring cost to pay for the future replacement of the turf and ongoing maintenance sits at $70,000. That could be offset by a possible $50,000 revenue stream, Garland said.
"That is what other municipalities target as a revenue value, it is not a guarantee," he said, adding that it is based on 2,000 hours of use per year.
Those figures raised alarm bells for some councillors.
The district has been criticized for borrowing money to bring the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corp. lands to market, Coun. Susan Chapelle said. Many of the municipal documents suggest there are other priorities that must be considered before the turf fields, she added. Furthermore, the district is waiting on its Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which lays out the community's recreational needs, Chapelle noted.
"I can't in good conscience support the fields without having read the master plan and knowing the rest of the community is being looked at in a fair way," she said.
Coun. Doug Race put forth a motion that council see an interim report on the master plan before any concrete decisions on the turf fields' fate are made. It passed unanimously.
Coun. Ron Sander said he was encouraged that staff is committed to making the project happen this year. Staff's report to council established a fast-track opening date of this November.
"I am saddened that we spent $9 million making mud pies on the oceanfront when we could of built a wonderful park at Brennan Park," he added.
Council voted unanimously to spend $13,902 on R.F. Binnie and Associates continuing to compile a detailed design for the artificial turf field.
Squamish Soccer Association member Tanya Babuin said council's vote was a step in the right direction. Potential field users were nervous that municipal officials would tie the project's timing to the unknown completion date for the recreation master plan.
"They fixed these fears [with the interim report]," Babuin said.
Now it's a bit of a waiting game with the grant application, she acknowledged. If the district receives $500,000 from the Province, the project will be able to move forward, Babuin said, adding that local football, field hockey and lacrosse groups are also in support of the plan.
