The long-awaited replacement of a time-ravaged field and running track is officially underway at West Vancouver Secondary.
Following a few words from West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager and a welcome song from Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) master carver Xwalacktun on Tuesday afternoon, a groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of the West Vancouver Place for Sport project.
Sager told an audience that included West Vancouver Secondary students and staff members he was “thrilled” to see the $17.1-million project get underway, with construction set to take place over the coming days.
Completion is penned for winter 2025, he said, although he expects it will be done “much sooner” than that.
The project will see the build of a six-lane track, an artificial turf field with lighting, long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault and shotput facilities, alongside training areas for discus, hammer and javelin throwing and the revamping of the on-site washrooms.
The update comes after years of fundraising work from the West Vancouver Place for Sport volunteer group, with more than 400 donors chipping in to see the school’s sports offerings revitalized.
“Since 2013 the District of West Vancouver, West Van Schools and the West Vancouver Foundation, alongside some incredible community leaders, have been working together towards this major goal,” said Sager on Tuesday.
He thanked a number of other organizations, including the West Vancouver Football Club, the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club, Park Royal and 100 Women Who Care, before adding that there is still room for people to donate should they wish to.
“We know that there are members of the community who still wish to donate to this project,” he said. “We’ll keep the hat out there in hope that we’ll raise a bit more money to replace the bleachers as well.”
Sager, joined by members of the various clubs, District of West Vancouver council members, West Vancouver School District and West Vancouver Secondary students and staff, ran a celebratory lap around the track before rolling up his sleeves and wielding a golden shovel to break the ground of the current grass field, officially signifying the start of the construction of the project.
North Vancouver-Seymour NDP MLA Susie Chant said it was “marvellous” to see the track coming to fruition, adding how its completion will fill a large gap in the North Shore sports scene.
“We are very short of tracks here on the North Shore. The last one at Handsworth went a while ago, and so it is fabulous to see this with all the new amenities … it is a thing that will be here for generations,” she said.
Chant said she is “thrilled” at the prospect of athletes from across North and West Vancouver practicing on the track, and it being the tool to help them go on to other, larger things “locally, provincially, nationally and perhaps internationally.”
In February of 2021 it was announced the running track, which will be open to the public, will be named the Harry Jerome Oval in honour of the North Vancouver sprinting legend.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
