Thunder Bay sports organizations optimistic as proposed turf facility moves forward

Two Thunder Bay sports organizations say they're optimistic as a proposed new turf sports facility inches toward becoming a reality.

Thunder Bay city council is set to vote on supporting the $30-million project in principle on June 24. An approval would also clear city administration to start more than $3 million in site prep work and studies the current preferred location for the facility is Chapples Park and seek extra funding from other levels of government.

David McCallum, president of the Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre, said his group plans to make a deputation to council on the night of the vote, supporting the project and making some suggestions in terms of what tennis players in the city would like to see there.

"We're looking for a six-court facility," McCallum said.

The tennis courts wouldn't be playing on the main turf field, McCallum said.

"What we've suggested over the various stages of this project, is that tennis be part of it, share the infrastructure of the change room and the concessions," he said. 'But have a separate building, bubble, as part of that."

Kelly Robertson, the city's manager of community services, said tennis isn't currently part ofthe plan, but there are options for including courts should council decide to do so.

The tennis centre currently has a nine-court facility in Chapples Park. It's not, of course, a year-round facility, and McCallum said there currently aren't any places to play tennis during Thunder Bay's winters.

There are more than 400 members at the tennis centre, but many other players in the city who aren't members: McCallum said studies have shown there are at least 1,000 tennis players in Thunder Bay who could make use of a new, all-season tennis facility.

"Tennis is in a growth stage right now," he said. "One of the fastest-growing sports in Canada."

• Proposed Thunder Bay turf sports facility takes step forward

Justin McConnell, president of Thunder Bay Ultimate, said his group also supports the new facility.

Currently, Ultimate the flying-disc sportformerly known as Ultimate Frisbee is played during the winter months at Lakehead University's Hangar.

"We are coming to the point now where if we want more field time, it's going to dip into 11 o'clock," McCallum said. "A lot of times,that'sfar too late for most people."

"The issue now is that with the field at Confederation [college] shutting down, it's put a strain on the other sports that were there."

McConnellsaid Ultimate players use the field at the Hangar two days a week, from 7-11 p.m., during the winter.

Shorter field

Ultimate Thunder Bay was one of the groups the city consulted as it put together the current turf sports facility plan.

And while McConnellsaid the group is supporting the facility, he alsoechoed statements made by Michael Veneziale, president of Soccer Northwest Ontario, this week: the turf field itself could be bigger.

Veneziale told CBC News the new facility, as planned, would include a turf field that's about 15 metres shorter than the one at the Hangar.

"That's not out of the question," McConnellsaid of the field size. "We're pretty flexible."

At the Hangar, Ultimate teams already put fewer players on the field than normal, over safety and size concerns.

"In terms of the size of the field, the issue is that in Ultimate, you can throw the full length," he said.

Kelly Robertson, the city's manager of community services, said the design of the proposed facility has not been finalized, and there are still opportunities for user groups to provide feedback.