Hit the ground running
West Park may yet host Canada Summer Games track events; Prep work needs to get out of the starting gates
The Canada Summer Games are still more than four years away, but Niagara needs to be ready well before then.
The goal is to have the facilities ready to go by the summer of 2020, said Doug Hamilton, who led Niagara’s efforts to bring the Games to the region.
“A year in advance is the idea, and for some of the facilities you want to have a test event the year before,” he said.
“If you want to have all your facilities in place by 2020, that’s just three years. There’s a lot of work to be done in the next three years.”
And that includes building and upgrading sports facilities throughout the region.
After having recently been host to large sports events such as Pan Am Games events in 2015, Hamilton said a lot of facilities needed for the Games are already in place. But additional investments will be needed.
“It’s not us playing catch-up in order to get facilities required for the Games, it’s actually us to get out a little bit ahead, use facilities we already have and generate new facilities for sports and health and wellness,” he said.
One of the largest investments planned for the Games will be new facilities and equipment to host track and field competitions.
But Hamilton said the location of that facility has yet to be decided.
A new sport and ability centre, featuring an accessible gym and health and wellness facilities, is planned for property south of Brock University, but no final decisions have been made regarding also building a new running track and sports field to that site to host Games events.
“We still have two options for athletics in play,” Hamilton said. “One is there (at Brock) and one is at West Park.”
While building a new facility at Brock would cost about $3.2 million, the less expensive option would be to instead renovate the City of St. Catharines-owned track and field facility on Louth Street, run by the Niagara Olympic Club.
Club chairperson Sharon Stewart said Niagara’s athletes will benefit regardless.
“Either option is still a fabulous opportunity for our community, and either option is still going to be a legacy for track and field,” she said. “But of course, our facility is dear to my heart.”
Refurbishing the existing track would cost about $1.9 million.
“It is significantly less money to refurbish our place,” she said.
And as a legacy facility, she said the existing track is more easily accessible for the community. But if it is ultimately constructed at Brock, she said her club members would definitely use it, too.
“Either way, the track and field community benefits.”
While Hamilton agreed that the renovation of the existing West Park facility is less expensive, Stewart said “it may or may not be what everyone agrees is the right plan both for the Games as well as a legacy.”
Other investments included in Niagara’s successful bid to host the Games include spectator seating at Southward Community Centre in Grimsby at a cost of $170,000, about $57,000 in upgrades to the Wainfleet Sports Complex, $57,000 more for the West Lincoln Arena and Community Centre, about $386,000 for road upgrades and equipment throughout Niagara to accommodate cycling events, $300,000 for volleyball nets and other equipment, and $120,000 for wrestling mats and equipment.
There should, however, be more than enough funding available for those projects.
Niagara Region and its 12 municipalities have committed $13.5 million towards hosting the games, in addition to $4.5 million coming from Brock University, Niagara College and other partners. With federal and provincial government contributions, as much as $42 million in funding should be available to accommodate those upgrades.
In St. Catharines, Mayor Walter Sendzik said the focus will be on upgrading facilities including the George Taylor baseball diamond in Merritton at a cost of $50,000. New basketball courts will also be needed at Meridian Centre, at a cost of about $80,000.
Sendzik hopes the Games will allow the city to scratch a few items off its to-do list, when it comes to recreational facilities.
“We now get to work with the host committee, and look at where the needs are for the Canada 2021 Games, for us to be able to link it into our recreation master plan so we can accelerate some of our investments,” he said.
Hamilton said a Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) training facility is also planned for Henley Island, beside the rowing course.
“It’s exciting,” Sendzik added. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said baseball facilities at Oakes Park will need some upgrades.
“We just finished completely upgrading the grandstands and spent a lot of money there,” he said, referring to the $450,000 investment.
However, the fields still need work and the dugouts need to be expanded to host baseball events during the Games. The cost is estimated at $90,000.
“Oakes Park is going to be our big upgrade, but that park — it’s time.”
He said facility users “have been saying for years that we need proper dugouts and upgrades to the field itself.”
“We talked about putting down some artificial turf, we talked about a number of upgrades that are overdue. This gives us the impetus to actually do them,” he said. “It’s a good excuse to finally do the upgrades that we need.”
Although golf competitions will be held at Legends on the Niagara, and volleyball competitions will take place at Scotiabank Convention Centre, Diodati said both those locations are “ready to go.”
Welland is “pretty much gamesready,” too, said Mayor Frank Campion.
“At the Welland International Flatwater Centre (where canoe and kayak events will be held), there’s very minimal requirement to do anything there,” he said.
“But I think the major investment, which is very minor, is the baseball diamond,” he said, referring to the facility on Quaker Road.
It’s a $127,000 total investment, of which Campion said the city will have to come up with half.
“It’s not like the Pan Am Games where we’re investing millions,” Campion said. “We’ll be investing minimally because we’re ready to go, pretty much.”