More than 1,200 people have signed a petition to “save” the proposed grass field at Killarney Park.
Members of the Vancouver track and field community said the City of Vancouver must follow through on its original plan of installing a natural grass infield as part of the Killarney Track and Field project and not install synthetic turf.
They say a synthetic turf infield will prevent training and competing for some events such as javelin, discus and hammer.
The petition has been created by Nigel Hole, the UBC Thunderbirds Track and Field Club’s CEO and a “life-long member of the Vancouver track and field community.”
“Killarney (Park) is what is supposed to become the new competitive facility — a Class A facility. Everything was going along great and it looked like it was going to be a great facility. The City of Vancouver was going to finally have a place where grassroots track and field could take place,” Hole told Global News.
“However, now at the 11th hour, there is concern that they will take out the natural grass infield which was planned and put in a turf field instead.”
Back in 2019, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation created a citywide “Track and Field Strategy” in partnership with the school board.
Its goal was to guide the city on short-term and long-term investments, management and programming at different facilities around the city.
This plan included a strategy for a new facility at Killarney Park — a strategy that included a grass field, track and field advocates say.
But it now seems like the city is on the fence about deciding what type of field to put in.
Global News reached out to the City of Vancouver, which provided a statement regarding the matter.
“To clarify, a final decision on the infield material at Killarney Park, i.e., natural grass or synthetic turf, has not yet been made,” a Vancouver Park Board spokesperson said in an email.
“A staff report will go to the park board on Nov. 27, and a decision on the final design will be made at this time.”
The spokesperson said it encourages the community to continue the conversation and provide feedback to their board.
Construction on the new track and field facility at Killarney Park is expected to begin in the winter of 2024 with a completion date in the summer of 2026.