27 Nov Parks Board Field Survey: We Need Your Help!
If you haven’t yet had a chance, the VAFC Board of Directors and staff encourage you to take the time and advocate for youth soccer in Vancouver by completing the Parks Board survey for new field recommendations.
The survey closes on Dec 10th, 2018.
What’s on the Line?
This is your chance to help sports users in Central and East Vancouver gain better access to all-season sports fields for practices and games. Your support will help the Vancouver Parks Board advance these projects. Learn more about the issue here.
Some Background
We anticipate the City may initially select only one field of the three short-listed sites for upgrades for construction in 2019. VAFC members would benefit most from upgrades at Clinton Park or Beaconsfield. Our membership would also benefit from proposed lighting upgrades to the existing small sided artificial turf field at Hillcrest.
This is an exciting opportunity to increase the amount of useable field space for practices, development, and regulation games across our wet winter nights. Please make an effort to let the Parks Board know how much you support these initiatives. The more they hear from our members, the easier it will be for the Parks Board to affirm general public support and make a decision.
Common Concerns and Answers
Q: Will the new lights create more light pollution?
A: The Parks Board is planning on using more advanced directional LED lighting. Information provided at the Open House indicate that lighting technology advancements reduce ‘spill and glare’ into neighbouring areas and are still highly effective in illuminating the field. These are a vast improvement from the lights used at many of our older fields. At Clinton Park, for example, the new directional LEDs would replace the olds lights on the gravel field which would be beneficial for neighbours.
Q: What about turf field infill materials – are they safe and environmentally friendly?
A: The Parks Board considers many factors when selecting their materials, including maintenance, performance, cost, sustainability and health concerns. The last field upgraded by Parks used a new environmentally-friendly infill material instead of the materials (rubber crumbs) that had been traditionally used in the past.
Q: What about greenspace concerns?
A: Synthetic turf fields are durable, and require less maintenance than grass with no need for mowing, seeding, fertilizing, or pest control.
Q: Why replace a grass field with an artificial turf field?
A: Though a pleasure to play on when well maintained, green, and not frozen over or flooded, in Vancouver our grass field usage must be limited to maintain grass health and field integrity. A synthetic turf field can be used 365 days per year subject to infrequent days of snow and ice. Once built, synthetic turf fields are less expensive to maintain over time. This frees up resources for Parks to focus on improving the health and playability of the existing inventory of grass fields and park space.
Please fill out the survey and share this information with others who use East Vancouver playing fields.
Sincerely,
Darren Sherbot, President VAFC
Kevin Shoesmith, Vice President VAFC
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