Feb 11, 2012- 10:10 AM
Six soccer mini-fields will eventually be built at Rotary Park in Sudbury, according to Brian Smith, Rotary Park co-chair for the Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers. Through the Sudbury Recreational Master Plan that was put together about 10 years ago, a shortage of soccer fields in the city was identified. Furthermore, many Rotarians have children who play soccer, so members were aware of the the need, too.
Because Rotary Park isn't big enough to put in several large fields, the Rotary Club settled on several smaller fields. There are some decent venues in the city where kids can play soccer, but “it's not the ideal situation,” Smith said. The new mini-fields will be accessible to all residents of the city, and there will be plenty of parking. It will also be well maintained.
“We don't know what the final cost will be for the mini-fields, but the city has set aside some money for it over the past years, and some of that money has been spent on developing the land for the fields,” he said. “The city has budgeted for construction costs for next year to the tune of $200,000.”
The Rotary Club of Sudbury and the Rotary Club of Sudbury Sunrisers are working together on the project, in conjunction with the city. The land has been “grubbed” of vegetation and fill has been brought into the area. It now needs some soil and grass on it, Smith said. The clubs have an engineering plan in place to build the fields, with the idea being “to push hard this year and have it finished by the end of 2012, so that it's ready for play next year,” Smith said.
“When we set our minds to something, we tend to get it done,” he said. The goal is to do the majority of the work in-house, as is always the practise for Rotarians. Members will also seek help from the business community.
“We've had terrific buy-in from companies that have services or equipment we need, because they see this as an opportunity for them to give back to the community,” Smith said. “What would cost $1 million to a municipality for a project, we could probably get it done for $700,000,” he said.
Between the two Rotary Clubs, there are about 110 members, all of whom are hard workers and many who have families that stand to benefit from these projects, Smith said, and added “we can get a pretty good workforce going when we need to.”
Eventually, the Rotary Clubs hope to utilize the Adanac ski chalet during the summer months.
“It's a great facility, and it's a shame to use it only during the winter months,” Smith said. “It will make available to soccer parents and players washrooms, change rooms and concessions.”
The mini-fields will also add to the overall attraction of Rotary Park, which has been a continual work in progress since it was first started in 1999.
Rotary Park is located on a piece of property west of Adanac Ski Hill and Barrydowne Arena. It's a big piece of land, what's called a “ponderosa flood plain” that also goes up into the mountain area between New Sudbury and the Kingsway, Smith said.
The first project the Rotary Clubs tackled was to put in a trail system complete with a boardwalk and stairs. Recently, signage has been erected inside the park similar to what one would see at ski hills depicting the various runs available to skiers, Smith said. The signage project was done in collaboration with the Rotary Clubs and Collège Boréal's carpentry program.
A scenic lookout platform is also in the works, and it would be installed on the upper trail in the spring, another joint effort between the Rotary Clubs, as well as Castellan James and Partners Architects Inc., and Cambrian College.
“It's all up there and ready to go, but winter came upon us before we could get it all up,” Smith said.
All projects are done in partnership with the city through a public-private partnership, he said.
Rotary Park has become quite “impressive” since the clubs first started developing it, Smith said. The idea of the park first came up “because we wanted (a project that was) a tangible effort that would showcase what our clubs do in Sudbury.”
The clubs looked at a number of locations, but were approached by the city, which had the Adanac Park Project as an option for the Millennium Project, Smith said. The city decided on revitalizing Memorial Park, so this one went unfunded.
“They presented us with this opportunity, and we went out to look at the property,” he said. While it didn't meet 100 per cent of our criteria, it met the majority, and we fell in love with the possibility of this site. It has a lot of potential, much of which has already been realized.”
Posted by Heidi Ulrichsen
