High cost forces city to tear up plan to replace Minto Field turf
The City of Ottawa has abandoned its plan to replace the turf at Minto Field.
The Nepean Sportsplex field requires a turf swap because the surface installed in 2015 is inadequate for football teams.
The city bought a high-quality field-hockey turf at a total cost of $1.3 million, but the surface injured young football players, who have received abrasions.
The city decided it needed to change the turf again if the field is to be used for football and other sports, such as field hockey and lacrosse. Over the winter, city officials found a turf that it believed would be a good multi-sport replacement.
The only bid received for the rip-and-replace turf job was quoted at $1,178,330 before tax, which would have taken a huge bite out of the citywide cash-in-lieu of parkland account, which, as of April 30, had a balance of about $1.96 million.
The citywide cash-in-lieu of parkland account has been eyed as the funding source to pay for the turf job, although that was when the city thought the work would cost about $500,000. The account collects money from builders who can’t provide park space; in other words, it’s a payment in lieu of not being able to meet the city’s development conditions.
The revenue splits two ways: 60 per cent of the money is put aside for projects specifically for the ward and 40 per cent is reserved for citywide projects.
The citywide parks projects are meant to serve the entire population or a region larger than a single ward.
Kevin Wherry, the city’s manager of parks and facilities planning, has called a meeting for Wednesday afternoon to discuss the plan with football representatives.
In the meantime, the lower field at Confederation High School is now under short-term lease by the city while it sorts out the necessary steps to convert it to a long-term lease.
The city has completed repairs and remediation of this field, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has been asked not to book the facility and “squatters” who currently use the site have been asked to “no longer use the property for their activities,” according to email Wherry sent on Monday.