Prince George facing backlash over reduced public access to running track following pricey upgrades
Andrew Kurjata | CBC News | Posted: July 26, 2018 12:41 AM | Last Updated: July 26, 2018
$4.8M improvements to Prince George's Masich Place come with increased security, fewer drop-in hours
The City of Prince George is facing growing backlash to plans to reduce public access to a popular outdoor running track when it reopens in August.
Masich Place Stadium is receiving $4.8 million in improvements, including a resurfaced track and an artificial turf field the city hopes will attract higher-profile sporting events to the community.
The city is also implementing new security measures that prevent the public from dropping in to use the track anytime it is not otherwise booked, as it was able to previously.
Instead, drop-ins for the remainder of 2018 will be limited from 6:00 am to 1:00 p.m. daily, while staff is available to supervise.
Director of public works Gina Layte-Liston said the change is being made in order to protect the city's investment.
"When we've redeveloped this premier site ... we want to make sure it is maintained," she said.
She said other communities with similar facilities recommended the change and the city will take feedback when setting new drop-in hours in 2019.
'A PR nightmare'
The announcement prompted widespread backlash in the community, including from Coun. Brian Skakun who said he knew people would be upset as soon as he was informed of the change.
"I just thought, 'Wow, that's not a good move," he said. "It's sort of a PR nightmare."
Skakun said he "100 per cent" supported community members, including fitness trainer Katie Paolucci, organizing against the reduced hours.
Paolucci set up an online petition asking that Masich be open "from dawn until dusk," calling it a "gem within the city" that allows people of all ages and abilities to exercise in a safe environment.
She contrasted it with gyms, which require a fee to use and to parks and trails which present barriers to the elderly or people with with injuries.
"I have a very bad back and walking on hard surfaces is very hard on my spine," she said. "It has to be a solid, even surface."
She also said Masich is one of the few outdoor spaces with no danger of encountering wild animals or off-leash dogs.
"Masich Place Stadium is a safe place," she said. "It was accessible to absolutely everybody."
Turf wars
Reduced hours aren't the only reason the upgrades are being criticized.
The decision to replace the stadium's grass field with artificial turf has drawn the ire of the family for which Masich Place is named.
Prince George Track and Field club founder Tom Masich and his son Bill both penned letters to the city arguing artificial turf moves the stadium away from its core purpose: track and field.
While city officials hope the new turf can be used by soccer and football teams — including the B.C. Lions, who sometimes train in other parts of the province — the Masichs say synthetic turf is unsuitable for track and field competitions.
"The installation of artificial turf in the infield changes this facility to a football/soccer field with a track around it," Bill Masich wrote.
"Experts in the highest levels of the sport prefer the quality of natural turf to synthetic turf."
Hope for change
While the turf is already installed, community organizer Bobby Deepak told CBC he is working on a letter-writing campaign to get councillors to restore Masich's previous drop-in policy.
"We want to grow this opposition to the point that our elected officials will have no choice but to side with the people they represent and who have been elected for that purpose," he said.
Council will receive a report explaining the changes Monday evening.