Aug 09, 2010- 4:17 PM
Greater Sudbury Mayor John Rodriguez, Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci, Ward 2 Coun. Jacques Barbeau, Ward 1 Coun. Joe Cimino, Ward 8 Coun. Ted Callaghan, Xstrata Nickel vice-president Marc Boissonneault and Laurentian University president Dominic Giroux were on hand to cut the ribbon and take a 100-meter walk along the track.
The revamped 400-meter track and sports field will be used for the upcoming Ontario Summer Games.
“We are a city in motion,” Rodriguez stated in a press release. “We are not content to be 'good enough,' we will always strive to raise the bar higher. Today we opened another world-class sports facility and the bar has been raised again.”
The facility features seating for 5,000 spectators, a covered viewing area and a press gallery.
Funding for the project was supplied by the City of Greater Sudbury, Xstrata Nickel, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, FedNor and Laurentian University, along with Sudbury's four school boards.
Come spring, over 5,000 elementary and secondary school students will use the facility for track and field meets.
“The new Laurentian Community Track exists because we believe that our young athletes deserve the best in order to be the best,” Barbeau stated.
Following the games, the facility has also been booked for the National Francophone Games and the Ontario Federation of School Athletics Association.
