It's done elsewhere, but for whatever reason, not in Delta.
I'm referring to the increasingly common practice of locating artificial turf fields adjacent to high schools in order to maximize the usage of these prohibitively expensive amenities.
In the last year, my soccer teams have gone on the road to play on turf fields at Point Grey Secondary in Vancouver, Westview Secondary in Maple Ridge, Charles Best Secondary in Coquitlam as well as at Richmond and Hugh Boyd secondary schools in Richmond. The idea of locating Ladner's second artificial turf field at the town's only high school, a proposal put forward by DSS's parent advisory council, seems to be in step with this trend, but it has been shot down by Delta council in favour of putting the field at Dugald Morrison Park.
There are pros and cons of both sites, for sure, but I can't get past the significant usage differences that make Delta Secondary, at least in my mind, the logical choice.
If the field was located at the high school, it would undoubtedly be in constant use by PE classes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and then by school teams from 3 to 5 p.m., before being turned over to community users on weeknights and weekends.
At Dugald Morrison, the $3.8 million field is likely to sit empty all day as the closest school, Delta Manor, was closed a couple of years ago and there isn't another within walking distance.
There have been concerns voiced that if the field is at the high school, community users could be shortchanged, but this strikes me as a bit of a red herring as the high school soccer, field hockey and field lacrosse teams already get afterschool access to the turf field at Holly Park.
If anything, a field at DSS frees up Holly for community use in the afterschool hours, although that's not really prime time because kids are busy with other activities and volunteer coaches are at work.
There's no doubt Dugald Morrison, surrounded by the hospital, police station and farmland, is a better location in terms of neighbourhood impact, and the DSS site poses some logistical issues thanks to the running track, but I can't help but think the vast usage discrepancy tips the scales in favour of the high school.
If an artificial turf field is supposed to be an amenity for the community, then isn't it better for the kids that use it in the evenings and on the weekends to also have access to it on weekdays?
Other jurisdictions seem to think so.
