The tension in the room was palpable as the three groups vying for the remaining Sports Legacy Funding - $610,000 - presented their projects to the Squamish council on Tuesday (May 3).
"These are very difficult decisions but we're certainly happy to be in this position," Mayor Greg Gardner said after hearing the group present.
"It is particularly difficult because these are all great organizations applying and they're all volunteer-driven so everyone is just trying to do the best for the community."
First to present was the Squamish Soccer Association, which is asking for the full amount to help complete a portion of their vision -which includes two artificial turf fields, a running track and a kicking wall.
SSA representatives explained that having artificial turf fields for soccer had been "a dream" for many soccer enthusiasts over the years.
"The two fields and the track will impact almost every single person in this community in a positive way," said SSA member Tanya Babuin.
SSA members said they were aware the $610,000 wouldn't cover the $1 million cost of one artificial turf field, let alone the entire cost of the project, but the significant district investment would make them eligible and more likely to receive other grants.
Babuin said that, for several months of the year, the all-weather fields were unusable so in addition to the health benefits of using artificial turf, it would give soccer players more space.
She also explained that user fees could subsidize the cost of annual maintenance.
According to Babuin, almost every artificial turf field in the Lower Mainland charges an amount for field use - roughly $19.95 per hour for youth user groups and between $35 and $55 per hour for adult user groups. That compares to the $100 per hour that Quest University charges.
Next up was Chris Hamilton, a construction worker and landscape designer who has worked with other committed residents to design a mountain bike skills development park proposal to be built next to Brennan Park.
It would include hill zones, dirt jump zones, a pump track, a flat handling zone, a flow and skills trail and a meeting area. The proposal contains 56 features and Hamilton is looking for $300,000 to complete the park.
Hamilton's projected costs came from local contractors' estimates and promised volunteer hours.
"We're looking at this a great place for kids and people of all ages to practice their mountain bike skills and also as a meeting place to head out riding," he said.
"We're hoping to make it available for everyone from the kids on runner bikes to the 70-year-old who wants to practice his hill climbs and we're committed to making this accessible to wheelchairs as well."
This type of park has been contemplated for more than two years - in December 2009, council passed a motion to direct staff to review the viability of installing a wheelchair-accessible mountain bike skills park in the same location.
The third group to present was the Callaghan Winter Sports Club, who are requesting $375,000 to build a Squamish Legacy Sports Park. The proponents envision it becoming a central Nordic training grounds - a steppingstone to Whistler Olympic Park.
The site would include skills-development ski jumps, paved roller-ski trails and a shooting range.
CWSC representative Denise Imbeau directly addressed the "newness" of Nordic sports.
"I was born and raised in Squamish and in my lifetime there have been many things that have been new, and that have not been immediately embraced, but have become part of our ongoing culture," she said. "In my lifetime, soccer is a new thing, golf is a new thing and mountain biking is new.
"I think Nordic sports is one of those things that also has a feel of newness, but it really is something this community is embracing and will continue to embrace."
The club's vision is not exclusive to Nordic sports - it includes rock faces for climbing and a non-paved trail for biking.
The proposal faces one significant hurdle - it has yet to secure tenure on the portion of Crown land requested between the Squamish Valley Rod and Gun Club, and Raven Drive.
The club is consulting with Squamish Nation before submitting its official application to the Integrated Land Management Bureau (ILMB) and is asking to District of Squamish to put the $375,000 requested into a trust fund for six months until tenure is secured.
Gardner said he expects council to make a decision by the end of May now that council has had the opportunity to hear from all three groups.
