Fake turf frenzy hits school boards
Niagara has always been a little late to the municipal infrastructure game.
I’m thinking primarily in terms of soft services, like culture and recreation.
Yeah, we now have multi-pad arenas, a performing arts centre, boffo swimming pool, a spectator facility and artificial turf fields. But
that’s only after most other medium-sized cities in Ontario already had such facilities.
Better late than never, I suppose. And by being late to the game we probably learned from others’ mistakes.
Niagara is about to take a giant leap forward on one of those fronts, though. Artificial turf fields.
Niagara’s two English-language school boards have immediate plans to install artificial surfaces
at several of its secondary schools, with a vision to do even more in the future.
Already earmarked by the District School Board of Niagara are fake-grass fields and synthetic tracks at Sir Winston Churchill and Governor Simcoe in St. Catharines, A.N. Myer in Niagara Falls, Centennial in Welland and the new high school in Fort Erie.
The Niagara Catholic District School Board has announced plans to install artificial turf at E.E. Michelson Park to serve the needs of Saint Paul High School in Niagara Falls. The goal of the Niagara Foundation for Catholic Education, a major financial contributor to the Michelson Park project, is to raise enough money to have fake grass at seven of the Catholic board’s high schools.
As noted, Niagara wasn’t exactly a leader in the use of this turf, which has been around in one form or another for decades.
The Kalar Road Sports Park in the Falls went the artificial-turf
route in 2008; the Kiwanis Sports Field in St. Catharines opened with this surface in 2011; and Brock University joined the fake-grass party in 2015.
Each endeavour was greeted with the awe and disbelief usually reserved for moon landings.
And how they’re apparently going to be as common as developer-paid junkets for City of Niagara Falls officials.
There are some alleged provisos to the surge in synthetics, notably the seeking of partnerships.
For instance, the million-dollar transformation of the Michelson Park field, partially owned by
the Catholic board and the city, is supposed to be funded by the municipality ($500,000), the Niagara Falls Soccer Club ($200,000), the aforementioned Catholic foundation ($200,000) and a still-tobe-found donor ($100,000) who would be given naming rights. The DSBN is using a significant
bump in school renewal funding from the province the past two years to help pay for its turf and track projects.
In total, $5 million has been allocated in 2016-17 to do the required
work at Churchill, Simcoe, Myer and Centennial. Synthetic turf had previously been contained in the overall construction budget for the new Fort Erie high school. The DSBN is hoping to find cost
sharing partners, too.
Both boards also see potential in rentals to the broader community. Mind you, given the number of synthetic turf fields coming on
stream the next few years it may be a user’s market. The push for these fields is based
on two key factors. The fake turf allows for a longer period of use during the year and offers improved playing conditions in inclement weather.
Maintenance costs are also lower.
But let’s not kid ourselves. Synthetic turf comes with a much higher budget than the laying of sod. There’s a price to be paid for playability and, perhaps, prestige.
In an era of school consolidation, it might be worth reading something extra into the playing fields
the DSBN has initially selected for fake-turf conversion.
Given the capital investment required and the high-profile nature
of the projects, one would think Churchill, Simcoe, Centennial and Myer have been given votes of confidence.
Those that missed the cut could be excused for being a bit nervous.
Right, Thorold?