The City of Delta is receiving major funding for a much talked about project which will soon be built.
Delta MP Carla Qualtrough and Delta North MLA Ravi Kahlon on Friday announced that the new North Delta track and field facility is to receive $5.8 million combined from the federal and provincial governments.
The funding is part of a package consisting of 21 projects in the Lower Mainland that are to receive $63.7 million in infrastructure funding, and over $228 million overall in grants going to communities across the province.
It’s through the first intake of the Community, Culture and Recreation and Rural Northern Communities streams of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, a provincial-federal cost-sharing program that makes investments in community and green infrastructure.
“This community-focused facility will open up new opportunities for Deltans to stay healthy and come together, while also providing a space for local athletes to train. To say the North Delta track project is a labour of love would be an understatement. For years, people have been working so hard to make this a reality,” said Qualtrough during a virtual news conference.
“For over three years people in our community have been organizing for a new track and facilities at North Delta Secondary School, and I am so proud that our New Democrat government could make this vision a reality,” said Kahlon in a news release.
“This track will be a place for people to come together, and will give more young people an opportunity to participate in sport and be active in our community. I am so pleased that we were able to work together to bring this track, and the opportunities that will come with it, to Delta,” he said.
Mayor George Harvie said the track facility will be the first of its kind in Delta, allowing track and field athletes the ability to train locally while supporting the broader community with the addition of new community recreation opportunities.
“The North Delta Track and Field Facility will be a tremendous community asset, supporting everyone from high level athletes to those looking for community recreation opportunities. I want to thank the Delta School District for partnering with us on this project and the Provincial and Federal Governments for recognizing the incredible value of this facility through their financial investment. I appreciate working with our MP, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, and the MLA for Delta North, Ravi Kahlon to procure funding that really benefits the community of Delta,” Harvie stated.
The project would have been built regardless and Delta council last month approved the first tender for the project at NDS, awarding a civil works contract in the amount of $4.8 million to Wilco Civil Inc.
Delta staff note that the civil works component is the first to be tendered and represents a significant portion of the overall value to the project.
Tenders for the synthetic surface and athletic equipment will follow in the coming months, as well as a separate design and construction process for the field house.
Last January, Delta entered into a lease agreement and track development agreement with the Delta School District for a portion of the site at 83rd Avenue.
Last February, council approved the 2019 financial plan that included a provision of $4 million towards the development of the facility.
Then in December, council gave early approval for the remaining project funding to be included in the 2020 financial plan.
In total Delta has made a provision of $8 million for the facility.
The project design includes an eight-lane, 400 metre rubberized track surface with lighting, seating, a natural turf infield, as well as other features such as two tennis courts with pickleball court markings and additional parking.
