Wednesday February 5, 2020 ~ WEST SHORE
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
West Shore Parks & Recreation (WSPR) will host the official opening of their Indoor Sports Complex (ISC) on Friday February 7. The ribbon cutting ceremony will be held from 11 to 11:30 am at the complex which is adjacent to the Juan de Fuca arena.
The new complex has an artificial turf field which for some in the sports community has been long-awaited for the many opportunities and events that it will make possible. It is a conversion of the former curling rink space, as initiated in 2019.
“The West Shore Parks & Recreation Society committed $300,000 to build the multipurpose sports and recreation facility to meet the demand for multipurpose program and rental space and growth of our community,” it was stated in a news release on February 3.
“This investment will not only benefit soccer, rugby, baseball and lacrosse, it will also provide the opportunity for programming opportunities including drop-in floor hockey, pickleball, basketball, volleyball, jazzercise as well child and youth programs such as birthday parties, a childcare space, tot-socials and youth drop-ins,” it was stated in the WSPR release.
To date, rental bookings of the turf includes nine unique user groups who have booked 41 hours per week of use added to WSPR programming-based activities for a total of 82.5 hours of weekly usage.
The new amenities within the Indoor Sports Complex include:
- 11,000 sq/ft “Nexxfield Modular X-Gen Pro” synthetic artificial turf playing surface which can be removed for trade shows and events.
- Two 2,900 sq/ft “Conor Sport Elastiplus” polyurethane multicourt surfaces.
- Two walk draw curtains separating the two multisport surfaces and artificial turf from the multisport surface.
- Upgrades to the sound system for programming needs.
- 2 x side fold wall mount basketball hoops (still to be installed).
- Accessible new entrance to sport court (to be completed).
West Shore Parks and Recreation is owned by five west shore municipalities: Langford, Colwood, View Royal, Highlands and Metchosin.
For over a year, the board has been comprised of Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) of the five municipalities. The previous board (which included municipal councillors and community appointees) was disbanded in June 2018.