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Delta willing to put up $7 million for North Delta track

The city is putting up all the money and is moving forward on building a new track facility in North Delta, a project that will be in the millions.
track
A proposed track project at North Delta Secondary has an estimated price tag of $7 million.

The city is putting up all the money and is moving forward on building a new track facility in North Delta, a project that will be in the millions.

That's what Mayor George Harvie said he wants done, adding it's a commitment he made to the community that he intends to keep.

"The problem is if you want to get government funding for these projects, the local funding has to be in place. My intention is to proceed with this project and apply for the funding to lower the cost for our Delta taxpayers," Harvie explained in an interview this week.

The proposed project, which would be built at North Delta Secondary, has an estimated price tag of $7 million, Harvie noted. It still needs to go through a budget workshop and get Delta council approval, but it's a project Harvie said he won't wait to see what happens with senior government funding.

North Delta Secondary recently moved a step closer to getting a new track when it was announced at council the city would be entering a purchase agreement with the Delta school board in order to acquire a portion of the school site where the current track is located.

A proposal originally put forward by the school board involves a land deal with the city in order for Delta to be able to potentially receive funding from a big pot of money the federal government is handing out for such projects. The district has agreed in principle to transfer the land to Delta for $1 in advance of a grant application. The city would manage the project construction, retaining ownership and providing for school use.

The amenity could include an eight-lane track, seating, lighting and other features as well as a new turf field, but the exact scope wasn't clear and appeared dependent on funding.

What also wasn't clear at the time was how much the project could cost Delta, but now the mayor is making it clear he wants the city to put up $7 million.

The school board and city this year agreed to refurbish the track at South Delta Secondary. The city agreed to provide 50 per cent of the project funding, up to a maximum of $175,000, toward that project.