Counterpoint

Improving schools to enhance fitness and learning

Where there was only an older-style sports field on the property of Immaculata High School on Main Street, there is now a state-ofthe-art illuminated artificial-turf field and rubberized track that extend the season for hundreds of students, coaches, and families. The new facility also has times available for community use. The project started in spring 2017, when Ottawa Catholic School Board staff recognized that partnering with the soccer organization Ottawa Footy Sevens was an opportunity to provide enhancements to the field on school property. All costs of the field were covered by the Footy Sevens in exchange for the right to use the field after school. There was no cost to the board or to city taxpayers.

To further extend the use of the field, low-spill lights (shown in this photograph) were installed that exceed city standards and make it accessible earlier in the spring and later in the fall. Staff consulted with Ottawa City planning department and were informed that the use of the school athletic field was not changing, therefore a site-plan approval was not needed. The board proceeded with the understanding that the field is similar to other sports fields in other areas of the city, including in urban and suburban settings, and operates under the same set of bylaws as all similar fields for noise and lighting. As planned and pictured, lights illuminate the field without spillage onto neighbouring properties. The improvement to a rubberized track was funded by the board as an eligible expenditure under Ministry of Education regulations — and the teachers and students are thrilled to have their old stone-dust track replaced with a more modern track.

There were nearby residents with concerns. Board staff listened to the neighbours’ feedback and looked for ways to mitigate their concerns. Shrubbery was added to provide screening and noise abatement. The fenceline was modified, free access to the track was granted (even when the field was in use), electronic whistles were employed to decrease noise, side entrances were closed to keep traffic off side streets, and investments were made to further enhance the lighting. Immaculata School Council co-chair Tanya Smith, representing parent voices, wrote a letter of support to the board in March 2018. In it, she said: “On behalf of the Immaculata School Council we wanted to ensure our voice was part of the conversation. We fully support the initiative and believe it will only prove to be an amazing benefit to our students and our community in the years ahead.”

In another letter of support sent to the board in the spring of 2018, Ben Seaman, an Immaculata physical education teacher and coach wrote: “Coaches are really looking forward to teaching on a turf field and to be able to cross-train athletes, regardless of sport, on a proper track. What we are most excited about, though, is the overwhelming positive reaction from our students.”

Seaman’s letter quoted Immaculata student and athlete Ben Robinson: “This is a game changer for our track-and-field program. I am so pumped about next season! I will be able to do all my training here at school rather than have to bus to other facilities.”

In late March and early April of 2018, board staff consulted with, and received input from, various stakeholder groups; many in the community are in support of the enhancements. The school, the board, and the Footy Seven staff used a variety of means — publications, presentations, meetings, one-on-one discussions, emails, and phone calls — to provide opportunities for input in 2018. Delegations of neighbours provided their input to the Board of Trustees and board staff at two public meetings.

We recognize that a small group view the school field as a public park and an extension of their properties. The partnership between the board and the Footy Sevens was an opportunity to enhance school property and has benefited athletes as well as the community. We are proud of this beneficial partnership with the Footy Sevens and are glad that the school’s only athletic field is now safe, improved, and accessible to our school community as well as the wider community.