Turf field to stay inside the Libro Centre after budget item eliminated

By Ron Giofu

The turf field is staying at the Libro Centre though administration says their budget request was more than just about the turf.

As part of budget deliberations last Tuesday, town council unanimously approved striking $75,000 from the budget relating to the turf at the indoor facility at the Libro Centre. Councillor Molly Allaire declared a conflict of interest as she is involved with one of the user groups.

“We’ve got more e-mails on this than on anything in my five years on council,” said Councillor Don McArthur.

McArthur said he was of the understanding the report left out some “crucial context” and wanted a further explanation.

“There’s a whole bunch of things we don’t know and this is supposed to get us some answers so we can make informed decisions. This isn’t just about the turf,” he said.

Deputy CAO Melissa Osborne said the study would be an “exhaustive understanding” of the facility with some functionality limited in certain areas such as the walking track and components reaching end of life. She acknowledged the demands the town is facing for space as well as the turf will need replacing as it ages.

“The funding was thought to take a look at the Libro Centre as a whole inclusive of those items without presupposing what the outcome might be. Some things that might be considered would be do you replace the outdoor turf and dome it in order to preserve the indoor turf as well as the outdoor one which then lends itself to converting the indoor one with the walking track into something else,” said Osborne.

Osborne added the report would have shown if there is a better way to reconfigure resources rather than look at groups needs one at a time.

Baillargeon added they were seeking a plan to assess spatial needs. She said they know of issues with the outdoor football and baseball fields, including lighting too close to the field and not enough distance between the backstop and home plate.

“There’s a lot of things at play here and we’re looking to maximize the use of Libro Centre, look at user groups across the board to try and accommodate as many as possible within the space and within the facilities that we have,” said Baillargeon.

There is a need for a plan in place when assets are due for replacement and the town needs to work with user groups to see what is required, she added.

Councillor Peter Courtney said he thought a spatial analysis would be done by a consultant the town already engaged for another project and wondered why another consultant was required. Baillargeon said there is a lot they could look at amalgamating projects.

Courtney believed the town has to “move harder” on joint use agreements with local school boards. He said he is not interested in spending the $75,000 but rather tie the spatial needs study at the Libro Centre into projects.

CAO Valerie Critchley said the consultant proposed in the Libro Centre study would have come from an architectural background and comes in to study how much space is needed per job “and how do you fit those things into a configuration.”

Councillor Diane Pouget made the motion and McArthur supported it. McArthur said “I want to keep the turf 100 per cent” but wanted to know how the town should decide where to put its money on recreationally.

Baillargeon stated recreation staff will consult with user groups and be thorough with their outreach. That strategy will also come into play when discussing further phases of plans at the Libro Centre. She said they can do much of that in-house and set up meetings and surveys to find out what is requested in the community.

The town has “to make some strategic decisions,” she added, while looking at demographics and the Official Plan. That will give the town a better feel on what is needed in each park, she noted.

Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb also supported Pouget’s motion but added “I need to see a plan of what we’re doing with our parks and with our Libro Centre.” He added “we’re all over the map with what we want to do.” “I’m going to need to see some sort of consolidated plan going forward before we can start throwing money at our parks and recreation facilities,” said Gibb.

Courtney added there are plans in place for facilities like H. Murray Smith Centennial Park and Jack Purdie Park and there is a Libro Centre secondary plan that will be modified. He said infrastructure needs to be put back because residents have lost a lot of recreational amenities.

Mayor Michael Prue also supported the motion. “People have spoken loudly and clearly,” he said.