There was a festive atmosphere at the new Greater Vernon Athletics Park Saturday as dignitaries and the general public gathered to officially open the new facility. Young athletes and their coaches were also on hand, making use of the recently completed park.
The park centers around an artificial turf field and track. There are also facilities for events like long jump, high jump and javelin.
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“I think it will allow for some development of track and field activities at the schools that will start to use it. There is already a track and field club here which hopefully will grow now that there is a fantastic facility for them to operate out of,” says Regional District of North Okanagan director Bob Fleming.
Fleming say it is the only field in the area for sports like rugby and field lacrosse that is equipped with lights.
Although Saturday’s festivities were about celebration, Fleming did acknowledge that the $7.5-million project went over budget.
Fleming says part of the reason for the budget overrun was timing.
“Funds were approved 2013 but we actually had to construct it in 2014/2015 so things changed,” he says.
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