$3.7M artificial turf field proposed for Holy Cross

A new $3.7-million artificial turf sports field could be coming to Holy Cross Secondary School next year if city council teams up with the Catholic school board to split the construction costs.

On Monday, councillors will consider the idea of building the field with the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board.

The field would be lit with LED lights and it would also have a six-lane running track.

It could potentially be done and ready for use in fall 2019, if councillors approve the plan. The idea is to create a new field that could be used by both students and the community.

The cost to build it would be split 50-50 between the school board and the city, states a new city staff report. That means the cost to the city would be $1,855,000.

If council decides to forge ahead, it won’t be the first time: the city had a similar arrangement when it helped build a sports field at Thomas A Stewart Secondary School in 2013.

On Monday at City Hall, councillors can expect to hear a presentation at their committee meeting from landscape architect John George of Burlington.

The school board would like to use John George Associates Inc. — its firm of record — to design the field (total cost: $224,577).

At the meeting on Monday, councillors will be asked to vote on hiring the firm without a competitive process.

But even if they agree to it, it’s still not a done deal: they’d have to also agree to put aside the money for construction in the 2019 budget (municipal budget talks take place in January).

If that all takes place, the staff report states, construction could start in spring 2019 and be done for the following fall.

NOTE: Watch for full coverage from Monday night’s meeting in Tuesday’s Examiner and online.