Will public have access to new school sports fields?

RE: WORK UNDERWAY ON PORT HIGH’S $1.6-MILLION SYNTHETIC FIELD, SEPT. 27

Work is underway on the sports fields at E.L. Crossley in Fonthill, Westlane in Niagara Falls and at Port Colborne. Five other high-tech surfaces have been built in Fort Erie, Welland Centennial, Governor Simcoe and Sir Winston Churchill in St Catharines for a total cost of $12 million.

In the article Ann Kennerly, principal of Port Colborne High, stated once the new facility is up and running, she hopes it will be a major draw, and said it will be for the community.

I hope what she says is true as I have found out the new track complex at the Greater Fort Erie Secondary school is out of bounds for the community after school hours and on weekends. When we tried to use that facility last year to run a practice for the athletes in our track and field club, which consists of Niagara area high school students, we were told by the principal the facility would not be open to the public.

Something seems to be amiss, as these are public high schools, supported by our tax dollars.

Ridgeway high school, which was closed recently, had a track the community used at any time of the year, which unfortunately is in bad shape due to neglect.

Lakeshore Catholic has a track and there are no padlocks or gates to prevent the community from using the facility.

The new track complex in Fort Erie has a padlock on the entrance, and I assume this will be the same at all the new locations.

As stated in the article, a healthy lifestyle is important to kids and adults in the community, so why are there padlocks on a publicly funded facility?

Wayne Rae

President, Athletics Niagara