It could be quite an amenity, but getting the funding to help pay for it could be another matter.
The Delta school board this week discussed the ongoing dialogue with the city to bring a new track and field facility to North Delta Secondary.
Costing up to $10 million, it would include an eight-lane track, seating, lighting and other features as well as a new turf field.
School district secretary treasurer Nicola Christ said the project is largely reliant on funding and that they’ve been looking at the best way to apply for a pot of money the federal government is handing over to provinces for such projects.
She noted they’ve recently learned the deadline for the first intake of applications is late January 2019 and will require a business plan. She also noted Delta can expect “rigorous competition” from other municipalities for those dollars.
The city will hire a consultant for design work, a cost that could be up to $100,000, split with the school district.
“Our hope is that if this application is successful we’d have quite an impressive facility that can be used by elementary and high school students in all of North Delta,” said board chair Laura Dixon.
At a recent Delta council/Delta school board liaison committee meeting, parks and recreation director Ken Kuntz outlined scenarios if a grant application was approved and if it was rejected. If the application for funding got the green light, a competition-level track and field facility would be constructed, but if the application is not approved, the existing track could be improved with a new surface and drainage. Cost for that lesser option is estimated at less than $1 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 the resurfacing.
