IT’S A MATTER of green for green regarding a proposed new sports field at Newtonbrook Secondary School.
On May 27, Toronto District School Board trustees voted in favour of a proposal to construct four new “championship fields” and one domed field at a cost of more than $12 million. Approximately $4.11 million of the total cost would be supplied by the board, with the remaining funds coming from federal and provincial funding.
“What the board is exploring right now is whether or not these five sites have the potential to generate permit revenue that would cover the board’s costs of upgrading these sites,” said Mari Rutka, trustee for Willowdale.
But if increased permitted revenues — generated by outside groups using the facilities — don’t cover the board’s share of the project’s cost, the application would be withdrawn.
“I think there’s certainly enough reason to see if we can do this, and certainly it would be a wonderful thing for each one of these areas if we did it,” Rutka said, adding that the proposed field locations would provide “a good disbursement of this level of playing field.”
“The potential is an excellent opportunity for Newtonbrook Secondary School students, our athletic program and also our community,” said Newtonbrook’s principal Lynne Koffman. “We are in full support and very excited to hear about this project.”
With up to 30 to 40 school teams, in addition to permit use activity, at any given time, the current Newtonbrook facilities are very well-used, according to
Koffman. “I think there’s enough interest in the community to sustain [the project],” she said.
Rutka and Koffman are not the only ones who see the proposal as a potential success.
“The problem with the city of Toronto is always that the fields are being used too much, because there’s not enough, and they’re being used constantly,” said Michael Kadis, the director for the Toronto Services Soccer League. “So if there’s talk about funding new fields through permits, then I’m all for that, basically.”
Kadis also manages and plays on Hooligans of Toronto FC, a soccer team in the league’s First Division. The team plays many games at fields in the Bayview area, including Glendon College. For Kadis, the subject of permit for use facilities is a cost issue.
“A lot of the new fields that have been put up by the City of Toronto, the rates are disgusting,” he said. “You can’t afford it as a soccer team, basically. It’s just too expensive.”
“If the field is in good condition, I would always pay for a permit, if it’s a reasonable rate,” added Kadis.
Rutka is optimistic that the success of other similar permit use fields in the city might allow for the success of the new fields.
“Certainly in other cases in the city in the past, where they have done this type of upgrading, there has been ample interest from various clubs and groups to permit the field,” Rutka said. “So I think that’s probably fairly doable as long as we can get that provincial and federal funding. I’m hopeful that it might actually work out.”
