By Yvette d'Entremont - The Weekly News
Young athletes who use Lower Sackville's Met-ropolitan Field are frustrated that the track's deteriorating condition and a delay in upgrades will force most of the upcoming competitions to be held at Dartmouth's Beazley Field.
"We've got a new skate park next door, they've fixed up the tennis court, and the track is sitting here with nothing being done with it. It's kind of disappointing," said Millwood High student and Chebucto Athletics member Nicholas MacAdam.
Chebucto Athletics coach Doug Mitchell said upgrades slated for Met Field this year are being postponed, and that HRM will instead undertake what he called a $20,000 Band-Aid approach that will include patching to repair some of the crumbling track.
"The rumour going around was that Met Field was closed, but that's not the case. It's just not available for provincials," Mitchell said. "I hear ground has been broken in Cape Breton to put a world-class track and field facility there for over $10 million. Yet here we are in metro without a full track and field facility."
During the April 7 regional council meeting, Lower Sackville Coun. Bob Harvey asked that Met Field be added to the agenda. He expected HRM staff to provide an information report.
"We've been patching it up for the last few years, and there had been a long range view that in 2009-10 we'd have a recapitalization of the facility. But we can't repair it this year due to budget constraints," Harvey said.
"There could well be a study done of what should be the primary track and field facility for HRM. I understand that could happen sometime this year, and it would give some direction to future capital expenditure."
Mitchell said if HRM can't financially handle two tracks, he'd question any decision to shut down Met Field in favour of Beazley Field.
"We started this program here, these kids come from this area, we make our homes here and we have things they don't have. I'll be wild if they shut this thing down," Mitchell said.
"They have a running program at Beazley, but we have a full track and field program. This could be made to be a perfect facility."
While Harvey believes Met Field is in line for a "major recapitalization" of $500,000, Mitchell said it would take at least $1 million to do it properly.
"If you're going to do it, do it right, and make it a more secured facility so vandals won't get at it," Mitchell said.
Young athletes like MacAdam are disappointed this season will mark the first time in many years Met Field won't host the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation track and field provincials. As a horizontal jumper, MacAdam said he's concerned because the jumping pits at Beazley Field are in need of repair, while those at Met Field were recently fixed.
"But with the deteriorating track, money spent on the pits won't go to use, because no events will be able to be held in Sackville," MacAdam said.
"Here we have javelin, discus and shot put pits. Down there they don't have all that, so they're going to have to put in whole new stuff. This just doesn't make sense to me."
ydentremont@hfxnews.ca
