They’re all a quarter-mile in circumference but that seems to be where the similarities end when it comes to running tracks in George Harvie’s Delta.
Our new mayor is fulfilling one of his election promises by moving forward on a new running track complex at North Delta Secondary, so in that regard he’s got to be given marks for following through on what he said while stumping for votes on the campaign trail last fall.
Where it gets less straightforward is the fact that Delta has four tracks, all attached to high schools, which means they’ve all been equally neglected by a cash-strapped school board that allocated pretty much every available dollar to classrooms. That understandable approach resulted in the four tracks falling into various states of disrepair, the one at South Delta Secondary in Tsawwassen becoming such a mess that the rubberized surface was removed last year due to safety concerns.
It’s heartening the city has worked out a deal with the school district to rectify the situation at NDSS, but rather than spend $8 million on a project that will only benefit one part of the city, could that money not be divvied up among all four tracks? To be fair to Harvie and Co., these are school facilities so city hall is under no obligation to upgrade any of them, and it should be noted Delta has agreed to put up $175,000 to pay for half the cost of resurfacing the track at SDSS, but the optics are still a little fuzzy.
It’s no secret that North Delta voters put Harvie in the mayor’s chair (he finished marginally behind Jim Cessford in South Delta) so it’s not surprising his first big infrastructure splash would be in that part of the city. I can accept that, but what’s harder to take is that all the tracks need attention but only one is getting the deluxe treatment.
The clay-like surface of Delta Secondary’s track turns into mush when the rain falls, only to dry in all kinds of ankle-twisting configurations, while news of the NDSS project has prompted “what about us?” complaints from those in Sunshine Hills, home of Seaquam Secondary and its less than stellar track.
It’s great that Harvie’s council is willing to buck up to improve recreation facilities, it’s just a shame that money is only going so far.
