Al4 Terrace Review — Wednesday, September 11, 1991 Christy Park and committee ping pong They'll get it straight one of these days... _ by Tod Strachan Back on July 22, Terrace city council referred: a letter from Ter- race Youth Soccer to the Com- munity and Recreation Services Committee. It was a request to proceed with Phase III of Christy Park, the final touch — a wash- room/change room facility. The Recreation Committee, though, decided they needed a little engineering expertise and recommended the matter be sent to the Planning and Public Works ~Commitice. Council granted this ‘wish and on Sept. 4 the Public Works Committee examined an engineering report outlining cost. comparisons of various park loca- tions. After due consideration, and the realization they didn’t have any drawings or plans, the Public Works committee came up with a recommendation... Send the engin- eering report back to the Recre- ation Committee, and ask that they invite Youth Soccer representatives to show up at a Recreation Com- mittee meeting with plans in hand. The idea was to allow Youth Soccer an opportunity to describe the project they had in mind to the commiittee, area residents and a representative of School District 88. This sounded good to city council, and again they granted the committee’s wish. The next Recreation Committee meeting would ordinarily be held on Sept. 18, exactly 40 days and 40 nights after city council offi- cially received Youth Soccer's request. But next week is the week of the Union of B.C. Municipal- ities annual meeting and it’s not going to happen. So the next scheduled meeting after that, would be Oct. 2. _And if Youth Soccer is not feel- ing a sense of frustration, our mayor apparently is. "Is this com- mittee ping pong?" Jack Talstra asked when one committee recom- mended passing it back to the other. And he dropped a hint that might sped things up. "Maybe we can deal with this in Committee of the Whole as quickly as possible and make a decision," he said. That could have happened the same night but but the idea was lost in discussion and the project fell into the Recreation Commit- tee’s hands. - But committee ping pong is only | a part of Youth Soccer's problem. There’s also the matter of public opinion that is referred to in Youth Soccer’s July request. Site location and building specifications may be a Sensitive issue, suggested Youth Soccer’s Don Highe, and he there- fore asked to be invited to attend a committee meeting to outline their ‘plans. That should have been July 31, but according to Monday hight’s committee shuffle, it now looks like Oct. 2. . And public opinion on the Youth Soccer hasn’t been cooled by lack of correct information. There have ‘been. a few rounds of public dis- cussion at recent council meetings, and not one of them had Youth Soccer's favoured location correct | when the three possibilities for locating the building were pres-— ented. In the Public Works Committee, a site in the southeast comer of the park was rejected. It was the _ cheapest to service but too close to McConnell Ave. homes. Another site, in the northeast corner of the park was also rejected, It was far enough away from any homes, but the most expensive to service. The engineering report estimates a cost of around $11,000 to Youth Soc- cer. - This left the committee with one location. It would be located, ac- cording to the engineering map, on or just east of the Parkside School playground. This location would cost around $6,000 to service and there were no nearby homes. The | Parkside Parents Advisory Com- mittee, though, cried foul. The playground is on city land, but there is an agreement with School District 88 on the matter. A brief chat with Highe makes it clear that there was a misunder- standing... Youth Soccer’s preferred location is nowhere near the Park- side playground: it's on large triangular section of Christy Park, on the opposite side of Howe Creek behind a buffer of trees. In fact, it was located there on Youth Soccer’s original plans many years ago, right in the middie of a space reserved for a future parking lot. The offensive little square on the drawing was removed, however, because it was only a part of Youth Soccer’s long range planning and was causing con- fusion in public discussions on the development of Phase I of the project. Highe says the $110,000 wash- room/change room _ structure designed by Terrace architect Royce Conde will be open only during soccer games and touma- ments, and it’s design is virtually vandal proof. Interior lighting comes through a skylight, there are no windows to break, and exterior steel doors will be installed in the cement block structure. Access to and from the soccer fields, says Highe, will be via a bridge over Howe Creek, which would also be behind a buffer of trees, ARTIST'S DRAWING, Christy Park Phase II] washroom/change room complex. Girl Guides of Canada Guides du Canada TALL TOTEM DIVISION Contact:. - Kathy Davies 638-1245 Marg Cooper 638-0609 ‘Reading will take place The Reading Place {4p 4722 Lakelse Ave., \j el Dave Parker MLA for Skeena 635-4215 7:30 p.m., Sept 11, 1991 Bridget Moran, author of the award-winning books about contemporary issues facing natives in central B.C., will be doing a . reading of her two books, Stoney Creek Woman and Judgement at Stoney Creek. at Terrace FEE: $25.00 a [ GURL GUIDES OF CANADA, TALL TOTEM DIVISION REGISTRATION September 13 and 14, Skeena Mall Friday 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Membership is open to all girls aged 5 years to 18. Women 19 and over are encouraged to join as volunteers in administration and leading units. _ Contact: Kathy Davies, 635-1245 Marg g Cooper, 638-0609 Dre Terrace Concert Society with Terrace & District Arts Council present 4606 Lakelse, Terrace 635-4428 Make live music a part of your iife! VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA september 26th R.E.M. Lee Theatre 8:00 P.M. TICKETS at ERWIN'S JEWELLERS Adult $20.00 Student/Seniors $15.00 SEASON MEMBERSHIP for the TERRACE CONCERT SOCIETY available at - Erwin's Jewellers: $50/adult $30/student/seniors