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Officials to discuss features to complement new artificial turf field at NDSS

Dec 8, 2017 | 4:51 PM

NANAIMO — A new artificial turf field at Nanaimo District Secondary School is open, but the facility is far from a finished product as officials huddle to determine what features are still needed.

The $3.6-million NDSS Community Field opened with a soft launch in November to replace a beat-up field. Richard Harding, director of parks, rec and environment with Nanaimo expected an official opening in the new year.

He said the lights and scoreboard should be operational shortly with bleachers and change rooms being added in the next phase for major events and tournaments.

“We have opportunities as a community, working with the School Board, ourselves and other groups, in how we want to improve some amenities around it. This will give us time to decide what kind of bleachers we want, what other kinds of washrooms, change rooms.”

He said it’s too early to predict a budget range for the additional features.

 

The field is one of the biggest on the Island, Harding said, and can handle several sports including high school and junior football, rugby, field lacrosse and soccer.

Harding noted the two artificial turf fields at Beban Park are used 1,800 to 2,000 hours a year, while natural grass fields in the city can only be used for up to 400 hours a year.

“This field is attached to a very active high school with academies and larger student body, so all of their daytime-use plus the community use, I see this field getting close to 3,000 hours, if not more, a year.”

NDSS senior boys football coach Nate Stevenson told NanaimoNewsNOW he looks forward to how the new field will impact their program when football season kicks off next fall.

“The field itself is beautiful, of all of turf fields I’ve been to on the Lower Mainland this is by far the number one field.”

 

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes