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Sunday, June 22, 1997 ~ North Shore News ~ #4

fashion arts travel ;

__NORTH GHORE [TFB

By Bob Mackin
~ Contributing Writer

EAMWORK and sportsmanship aren’t
restricted to the'field of play anymore,

And without teamwork and sportsmanship among gover i
ments and private sector Interests, few playing sur laces will he ie
built in the years to come

Any new frellitles that get developed: tn B, G. at al will
involve some type of public- private partnership,” sald Jot
_ Mills, resource president of Sport BC, the prov nee’s govern:
tty body for amateur sports, “It seems to be the way ever ry:
thing gets done these days.”

‘The dilemma is simple,’ rhe provincial and federal governs
ments. dre resting with: massive debts and deficits, Both
Ottawa and: Victoria have opted to cut transfer payments to
‘Mower levels of government. Hardest hit'are municipalides,
Ww Itch are required by law to balance their budgets,"
Goverment’ all levels | is reluctant to raise taxes anccut
ces for fear of further alienating an already disenchanted
electorate; So the days of governments by themselves making ©
ipital expenditures for hackey rinks, swimming pools or soe
cer fields are basically over,
Perhaps, no, other, municipality knows this like the: City of

Richmond: Overwhelined by this‘decade’s tidal wave of Asian

; immigration, Richmond’s
community © and school
resources “have ° been

"stretched to the max. .

* Some local facilities are at |
or near the end of their”
operational lives,
Overhaul and. enlarge: oS,

ment or. replacement. are THANKS to » Japanese

to glant:Hon a, Rickinond soccer ‘and baseball players.h ave | a new. fleld to

Pp
- two. options; both of’ (above). Instead of transforsin ng ownership of the parcel-of land adjacent to lis regional headquaiters : fo the
le

“which are politically sensi-
4 tive.in these budget- con:
B.scious times. :
» “At'the same: time the city:
“ became* cognizant of. the: ,
i. teality, . West: Vancouver".
developer!’ Brent =:Kerr:
“sought .. to- ‘redevelop a"
Hland‘in'south Richmond on the ;
Kerr envisioned a European-style:
* waterfront conimitnity Nei ‘an emphasis: on recreational and“
‘entertainment facilities.
The ‘residential “sommunity,. dubbed Stardock, ‘has since’
n. shelved: But‘ ‘destination entertainment and recre-
ational centre:Called'Riverport Leisure Centre is nearing com- <?"«
pe (Kere di turn, the News’ phone ¢ calls for com-
ment
i Three of the main buildings are up and running, The most
rominent'is the’ Nike, Griz es Training Facility, the NBA’s :
‘home awa ‘from Gi le Next: ‘door to 0 the west iis the
Richmond: I

- Riverport: Avie “chic was Sniginaly ba with four sheets of ice, of
Watermania, meanivhile, is supposed to ease the pressure on Riclinond) fo
eplace or’ renovate decades-old outdoor pools at Steveston and “South ‘Arm.*
rhe timing of next Suiday’s opening won't mirror the: impeccable timing of
the'lee Centre’s completion. Civic officials originally hoped it would be ready
as carly as theiend of last year, Youth swim theets were scheduled for April and:
; tawere either cancelled or, relocated because of further delays, The city
“required the developer to alter or repair miscellaneous minor construction:
The area’s road network remains far from completion.
: er ‘side will speak’ ill of the other, but, there appears to be friction
‘-.." between the bureaucrats and the bitilder over the'pool’s delay, The city’s deci-
“sion last week to rezone Riverport as an athletics and entertainment district
‘could be seen‘as ‘an olive branch of sorts. The: new designation: paves the;way
o build-a hotel. _
L ’ “Tp’s*ours to make some money. or break evenon the operating cost. It is
our ‘problem to run it in the same way we have to run our own a nits a
# McNulty said. “(Kerr) looks after the capital, repairs. We havea pool (built) in
\,, less.than three years. -
If communities analyze and expand like we’ re doing in Richmond to lit-
ly the whole city structure, I think they might end up with’a better prod
uct in the long run,”
“The Ice’ Centre has allowed’ wornet’s hockey, ringettesand senior men’s
zleagues to: flourish, drawing , players froin around the Lower Mainland.
‘|Watermania, with its 50-metre pool, will'allow Richmond to keep some of its
“top’swimmers in the community. *

ra his is the first 50-metre pool south of the Fraser,” said Richmond leisure |

sertices: manager Dave Semple. “Instead‘of going’ all, the way to Vancouver
and swim, they'll stay here. (Olympian swimmer) Turlotigh O’ Hare had,to go
o' Vancouver to swim. We now can have'our kids swim here; and thar's‘neat.”
‘Semple added the facilities will ‘provide further’ opportunities to fill city
coffers, Totirgaments and other special eveats will draw: visitors from all over
western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. “And the’ city *s corpo sponsor:

city, Honda opted to build the
_ inate $17, 000 a year. The oy of Richmond looks after Scheduling and ma

Ids, rezone them for recreatiovial use — and alntenan the tax Pid ‘of appr
enance respot ns' es.

tart thee of our four-part s series on sport funding examines |

~ how government and private interests work together.
2 — the common goal of building places for us to play

2 Me

Fanious Players via group ‘sales or conibination: passes. Lt wy he

The Riverport development may just:be, the logical extension of a ‘984:
deal the city struck with Honda. The ‘Japanese auto giant bought a larger par-

cel of land than’ required ‘for its western’ Canada regional headquarters and ,

~ warehouse in‘an industrial area near Knight Street. The company was toying

” with the'idea of creating a soccer field on: ‘the six- “hectare property asa gesture,

‘- of appreciation to the community.
- A1984 report by city staff to council indicated Honda agreed to build al
modified sand field, which would enable irrigation in the} summer and easier:

, drainage the rest: of the year. Paes 4!

Honda didn’t want to transfer ownership, to the city; instead it épted: to .

“ build the $135,000 field, get rezoning for recreational use and pocket the tax’

savings of approximately $17,000 a year. The. city assumed scheduling’ and
maintenance, responsibilities, approximately $6,000 annually, ane oda

and its employees first. right of refusal to use the pitch. Negotiations went so.

well; Honda ineluded a: baseball diamond along with the soccer field...»

Arch Wilcox, Honda’s western Canada zone manager, said similar arrange
-ments are in place at Honda’s Canadian head office and factories in Ontario,

Either party can escape the agreement with 90 days notice, Wilcox said it’s
highly unlikely Honda will expand or sell the property any time soon, so the
city should have Honda Park for many years to come. -

“We're definitely nor going to have to use that property,” Wilcay said.
“My persdnal opinion is. we're a good, healthy company a and it would take a
lot of financial grief before we'd consider (selling).”

2 Wilcox said Honda doesn’t use either field as much as it’could, though i it
has been ‘a good venue for non-sporting sales. promotions like a tent sale
planned for later in the year.

Are teams.or events sponsored by competing: auto interests welcome ar
Honda Park? Yes and no, Wilcox said.

“We'd be hard- -pressed to stop it if it’s a community event. If it’s a com:
_ mercial event, we would definitely.go ahead and stop it,” Wilcox said.

In the mid- *80s, Semple said, the city was faced with scarce facilities, just:
“Tike it was before Riverport cane to fruition. So Honda Park eased the ‘bur-,
den on Minoru Park, the city’s main, downtown recreation complex.

“Corporations, the ones that have the forethought to look 20, 30 years

- ahead; are saving money and helping the community,” he said.

‘Though Richmond's relationship with a private developer Appears rosy on
the surface, other Lower Mainland municipalities are licking their wounds.

One need only look to Surrey’s Stetson Bow! of to Vancouver’s new"

Roundhouse Community Centre or to North Vancouver District’s failure to.
build an ice rink with a local Indian band.

In 1994’ the fledgling Western Baseball League approached Surrey to”
examine the expansion of Whalley Ballpark to.4,000 seats for a franchise in the ©
minor professional league. A year later the Surrey Glaciers were born, but they”

‘instead played at the Stetson Bowl on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.

b

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