“The great thing about being Canadian is that groups can support projects despite negative reactions,” says Barrie Rugby Club president
Those who might one day use the planned sports field in Barrie, along the city’s waterfront, are holding out.
A staff report dated September 20, 2023, summarized the positions of six groups that could use the proposed synthetic turf, multi-purpose youth sports field and parade grounds, which will be located east of the military heritage park in a 120-metre by 78-metre space off Lakeshore Drive.
Although city council essentially approved the land on May 15, opposition from Barrie residents to its location in a naturalized area near the waterfront – with trees, grass and walking trails – has stubbornly persisted.
The council is expecting a report from a field consultant, possibly as early as August 14 at its next meeting, although the timing of the report’s release is uncertain.
The staff report from last September details conversations with the Barrie Minor Lacrosse Association, Barrie and District Girls Softball Association, Barrie Minor Baseball Association, Barrie Rugby Club, Barrie Soccer Club and Huronia Stallions Football Club.
BarrieToday I recently went back to these groups to check their current positions on the sports field.
Barrie Rugby Club president Len Day said he supported any field development in the city and a new grass field would give his players more opportunities to train when they can’t due to weather conditions.
Day was asked about the public reaction, the opposition rallies outside Barrie City Hall, the protests along Lakeshore Drive, and whether those events made the local rugby club think twice about supporting the field.
“We believe Barrie is a growing city, it’s not the small town I grew up in anymore and that’s a good thing,” he said. “The great thing about being Canadian is that groups can support projects despite the backlash.”
“We trust our local political leaders and staff to study and develop our infrastructure,” Day added. “Yes, our trees and our environment are important, but remember this site was a (CN) site. There can be a balance in development. There will always be access to the waterfront and with development it could bring more people to the area to enjoy the walking trails and provide a safe family atmosphere.”
Sean Hayward, president of the Barrie and District Girls Softball Association, took a different approach.
“Building a waterfront field would be a great asset, but it doesn’t address the immediate need for additional fields,” he said. “We need 10 more fields, not one. The fact that it’s a turf field is great, but again, we need multiple fields, not one.”
“Our recreational programs, both boys hardball and girls softball, are growing at a rapid pace, and softball players are playing on fields that need replacing and one field is not going to cut it,” Hayward added.
Hayward says the city should focus on a pinwheel-style field concept similar to the Barrie Community Sports Complex, located on city property on Nursery Road in Midhurst.
“This is what the city needs,” he said.
Andrew Prestwich, president of the Barrie Minor Lacrosse Association, said there is a need for artificial turf sports fields in Barrie and it supports them, when they are managed by the city.
“The location of the field is not a selling point for us or something we’re interested in,” he said. “We need practices very early in the season, in late March, April and May, because our field lacrosse season ends on Victoria Day weekend.”
“Ideally, it would be better to have more than one field in a region,” Prestwich added. “That would allow our provincial body to regulate the games in Barrie. They won’t do that with just one field. That’s why we travel on weekends to Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Brampton and as far away as Welland and Peterborough.”
When asked nearly a year ago, officials with the Huronia Stallions Football Club said they appreciated the natural environment of the Barrie Community Sports Complex, rather than the artificial turf stadiums found in urban areas like Toronto.
They also said that a synthetic turf pitch surface was preferable, as artificial grass is considered too hot to play on during the summer.
The Stallions said they do not support building up Barrie’s waterfront and blocking public access, favouring a natural and beautiful shoreline.
Martino DiSabatino, the Stallions’ director of football operations, said little has changed.
“The city felt this was necessary and we are confident they will do the right thing,” he said.
DiSabatino also noted that the Barrie Community Sports Complex is a focus for the Stallions.
“This is where our birthplace is. We’ve put a lot of time and energy into it,” he said. “It would be great to improve it even more because I think it’s one of the best facilities in the province because of its location.”
DiSabatino said amenities would need to be provided for the Stallions to use the turf field, such as storage facilities and locker rooms.
He said it had to be more than just a pitch, even a grass pitch.
“It’s just not a good fit,” DiSabatino said, suggesting the stadium be built within the sports complex, “where there’s room to grow. We’d like to see that facility expanded.”
The Barrie Minor Baseball Association, in that September 2023 report, said it saw an attractive opportunity in having a waterfront site.
The BMBA says it does not plan to regularly use a waterfront facility because it could be prohibitively expensive and other organizations would take priority. Adding another field would free up space to host larger tournaments.
“As far as I know, the waterfront sports field proposal does not include a baseball field, so I don’t think that affects us,” BMBA President Rebecca Sauder said in early August.
The Barrie Soccer Club (BSC) could not be reached for comment. BarrieToday.
But in the September 2023 staff report, the BSC said it viewed the waterfront as an ideal, centralized location that would help sell the waterfront and showcase soccer, but favored some type of multi-sport area.
The BSC has indicated that it would like to have a major central location with stands and a box upstairs, so people can watch the game from above. The Barrie Soccer Club has indicated that it would also like to have more artificial turf fields and would be open to having multi-purpose fields.
The planned sports field would be used for soccer, rugby, American football and lacrosse, as well as for parades by the Navy Cadets and the Navy League. It could also have amenities such as lighting, benches and street furniture, as well as a 35-space paved asphalt parking lot.
A permit from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority is still required, as the regulated area crosses the upper portion of the sports field. An archaeological assessment is also required.
The opposition is over the location of the sports field and parade ground, the fact that it is still too close to the waterfront, despite being moved closer to Lakeshore Drive, and its size, although it is smaller than originally planned.
A consultant’s report will soon be released on the sports field by Marshall Green, a retired lawyer specializing in municipal law and land use planning. He is meeting with stakeholder groups and will summarize their positions in a report to council to help guide its approach.
The project is estimated to cost $4.6 million, drawn from three municipal reserves: development taxes, tax capital and green space replacement funds. Washrooms and change rooms are not part of the plans, although the May 8 staff report said the cost would be between $650,000 and $1 million.
The sea cadets, which have long been based near the Spirit Catcher, would move into an annex of the General John Hayter Southshore Community Centre, an extension north of the basement of the existing building. The building is estimated to cost $4.55 million.
At this point, $300,000 has been committed to the plan and design of the extension. City staff will report back to councillors for approval of funding for future construction, once costs have been refined through the design process.
No funding source for the addition of the Southshore Sea Cadets has been identified by the city.
This idea for a sports field probably dates back to last fall.
The May 8, 2024 staff report states that on October 4, 2023, City Council approved the following motion: “That the Corporate Facilities Department staff be directed to develop a plan, in consultation with the Sea Cadets and the Navy League of Canada, to relocate the Sea Cadets to a new building east of the Military Heritage Park, including a parade ground and multi-use outdoor space, and to report back.”
Staff have been tasked with exploring the possibility of establishing a multi-purpose sports field in Allandale Station Park, the staff report says, with the capacity to accommodate a parade ground.
A zoning review shows that development of a multi-purpose sports field in Allandale Station Park is permitted.
The park is designated in the Official Plan as Open Space (OS), which allows for the development of playing fields (sports). Accessory uses permitted in OS zoning include bleachers, a clubhouse, a concession stand, a refreshment pavilion or a kiosk.
