Some local sports groups are coming together in hopes of collaborating with the District of Squamish to add another turf field and revamp the surrounding facilities at Brennan Park.
For its part, the District seems open to community partnerships to make projects more feasible.
The local group, called the Place to Play Committee, recently sent a letter to the District outlining some of the troubles with the current turf field and facilities. A spokesperson for the group, Philippa Clark, discussed the concerns and potential solutions in a follow-up interview with The Squamish Chief.
Generally, the committee would like to see upgrades to the turf field area and the addition of another turf field within the next five years rather than the next five to 15, when the upgrades are currently slated with the District.
“We don’t have the facilities to support today; we just simply cannot wait another 10 years for a second turf,” said Clark.
But Clark reiterated their intent is not to go against the District; they want to work together to find these solutions sooner rather than later.
“Understanding both of our constraints; they can’t do it because they don’t have the money or the funds, we can’t do it because we don’t have the District knowledge," said Clark.
“We can help get the funds together; you bring your knowledge.”
In response to an inquiry from The Squamish Chief, the District seemed open to collaboration.
“We recognize sports user groups are also requesting additional facilities, such as pools, ice rinks and sports fields. It is difficult to fulfill all of these needs without the support of additional funding, either from grants or community partnerships. Funding from community partnerships help to make a project more feasible and, in some cases, could help to have a project completed sooner than planned,” wrote District spokesperson Rachel Boguski.
As an example, Boguski said Brennan Park Recreation Centre upgrades were funded, in part, due to a $14 million federal grant. However, that specific grant was ineligible for park or turf upgrades.
The committee is already trying to make headway in the funding aspect, as Clark said they are working to get a cost estimate completed for a second turf. Once the group has that, they plan to start fundraising.
The District also noted that many local infrastructure upgrades were underway.
“Squamish is rapidly growing and the District is under pressure to meet the needs of our community, including for essential facilities and needs, such as the Public Works building, and infrastructure upgrades.”
Additionally, the District pointed to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Capilano University that “allows the University and the District to build additional capacity via funding applications and partnerships, among other initiatives, through shared community recreation, arts and culture infrastructure amenities services and programs.”
While that MOU may be beneficial in the long term, a representative from CapU, Linda Munro, told The Squamish Chief that its turf field will soon be undergoing repair and that the community will be notified when the university finalizes the details.
As for specific upgrades to the area outside of an additional field, Clark said the road to the field is littered with potholes. There are only portable toilets, which are not accessible to those with mobility challenges and have been vandalized a number of times. Furthermore, she said spectator seating is limited, and there is insufficient lighting throughout the area.
That said, the District is promising to upgrade the road this year.
“Currently, the driveway to the turf field is scheduled for paving in 2024,” said Boguski.
In the last year, numerous sports groups across Squamish have stated that the community has quickly outgrown the recreation facilities available.
