City unveils 3 options for outdoor sports complex

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This article was published 06/11/2015 (3749 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three potential sites for Brandon’s new outdoor sports facility were presented at an open house Thursday night.

Proposed sites include land at the corner of First Street and Veterans Way, property north of Assiniboine Community College on the North Hill, and an area at the southeast corner of the city along 17th Street East.

“We’re offering our understanding of the opportunities and constraints, the pros and cons of each of these sites, and seeking additional public input,” said Jeffrey Frank, principal at HTFC Planning and Design.

The open house was part of a feasibility study, which is being conducted by HTFC and MNP. The $50,000 study is a joint partnership of the City of Brandon and the province.

Many people in attendance spoke favourably about the ACC site, which includes approximately 110 acres.

“It’s the biggest site, it has the most room to grow, and on the plans it says that they’re considering shelter belts,” said Rainer Schira, head coach of Brandon University’s women’s soccer team. “The really big problem here in Manitoba is winds … if it goes up at ACC, they need to make sure to deal with the wind problem.”

Some of the pros listed for the ACC site include future expansion, adequate space for shelter belts, open greenspace for other features, among others. The large, rolling site provides “ample space to situate site features.”

Cons include the fact that the land is owned by the province, some areas are too steep, and it is bisected by major overhead hydro transmission line.

“I like the ACC option because we can amalgamate with ACC, and that would be great to have a real community up there,” said Sheila Gonty, who has two children playing competitive soccer.

“I’m big on community, so it’ll be nice to have the Timbits watch the competitive kids play … Right now these kids are just playing and there’s no mentors and there’s no ‘what am I going to do next,’ so it would be nice to see that,” Gonty said.

Optimist Soccer Park is out of use due to the recurring flooding of the Assiniboine River, which created major challenges for the various soccer leagues in Brandon.

“The facilities at Optimist were well-used and well-programmed and they have to be replaced. That’s kind of the starting proposition here,” Frank said.

During the study process, consultants met with a number of sports organizations. They recommend the new facility include fields for soccer, football, ultimate frisbee and appropriate parking, washrooms and change room facilities.

The major concern for the site at First Street and Veterans Way (80-plus acres) is its flood risk. It’s not too far north from the beleaguered Optimist. Frank said it would require flood mitigation to develop. Another negative is that expansion opportunities are limited. Pros include that it is a relatively flat site, good location for connection to active transportation and it is city-owned land.

The 17th Street East site (30 acres) is also city-owned land and slopes are reasonable, however, there’s poor connectivity to the area, it’s a small parcel size and no space for future expansion.

Gerald Cathcart, who has two sons in competitive soccer says he supports the ACC site.

“The lack of a good pitch is a detriment to the development of high-level soccer in Westman,” he said.

“If we want to develop the sport in the region, we need a central site that can support not only competitive but recreational. The game is growing worldwide — Brandon should be part of that.”

The consultants will take the feedback from the open house and determine a specific site proposal for the city, which will include a budget and business plan.

Bryce Wilson, the city’s manager of parks operations, said they hope to have the results by the beginning of December.

The feasibility study was first announced last March, and has included a number of meetings with various sport user groups and organizations over the summer and fall. Consultants also considered the city’s Greenspace Master Plan.

“We have to make sure that we do it right, have a good plan and determine the ownership model,” Wilson said. “We have to sit down with all the organizations and all the users of the possible facility, and make sure council’s on board and keep them informed. That’s why we need the feasibility study and that’ll give us a good direction on what the plan should be.”

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