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City of Nanaimo’s grant request successful for Harewood artificial turf fields

Project will proceed thanks to $3.3-million grant plus contributions from city and school district
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Past concept images for the Harewood Centennial Park artificial turf project. The City of Nanaimo was successful in its grant application to move the project forward. (City of Nanaimo images)

Funding is now in place for the City of Nanaimo’s next artificial turf field project at Harewood Centennial Park.

The federal and provincial governments announced this week the next round of recipients of infrastructure grants, and the City of Nanaimo’s Harewood turf project was one of 57 successful applications around B.C.

The city will receive exactly what it requested in the grant application, $3.28 million, with $2.53 million coming from the provincial government and $750,000 from the feds. The city will be expected to contribute at least $1.19 million and Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools will also be a funding partner on the project.

According to a press release from Infrastructure Canada, the field complex will include two synthetic turf fields – both large enough to accommodate full-size soccer or high school football games – and lighting and covered players’ benches.

“It really creates some multi-uses there,” said Richard Harding, the city’s general manager of parks and recreation. “The great thing about artificial turf is it allows you to just keep playing and playing.”

Spectator amenities and scoreboards will depend how far the city can stretch the dollars, said Harding, as the priority will be getting the two playing surfaces built and in game shape. He said designs and tendering will happen this year, with construction anticipated to start next spring and the fields expected to open sometime in 2023. The goal is to have the fields ready for a busy fall sports season.

Harding said during non-pandemic years, demand for artificial turf bookings outpaces supply.

“Particularly for games,” he said. “Because one of the things that people love about the artificial [turf] is that they never have to cancel a game, or very rarely.”

The school district’s partnership will mean that John Barsby Secondary School will have use of the field during school hours. It also means a new home field for the storied Barsby Bulldogs football program, and coach Rob Stevenson said he was “over the moon” to learn that the grant money had come through for the project.

He said this sort of project represents not just infrastructure, but investment in people, and he gave tips of his hat to all involved.

“There’s going to be countless hours of people from all walks of life and all types of activities using that field,” he said.

READ ALSO: City of Nanaimo seeking infrastructure grant for new artificial turf field in Harewood

The Regional District of Nanaimo was also successful with an infrastructure grant application and will receive $559,000 from the provincial government and $372,000 from the federal government for a water supply upgrade project at Whiskey Creek. All told, $110.3 million in joint federal-provincial funding was announced for 57 community, recreation, and green infrastructure projects across B.C.

“By investing in accessible community infrastructure, we’re ensuring British Columbians in every corner of the province benefit from vibrant, well-connected communities,” said Nathan Cullen, B.C. minister of municipal affairs, in the release.



editor@nanaimobulletin.com

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