'It’s just not safe': Oceanside track facility in dire need of replacement
Community members are hoping to remake the 40-year-old Oceanside track and field facility, which has not had any proper maintenance in the past 20 years and is in dire need of replacement, according to fundraisers.
"It’s just not safe for people to be on," said Mark Desvaux, a director for Oceanside Track and Field and a member of the track steering committee.
"The track is very much like concrete now and we can’t train on it properly," he said.
Several of the track club’s athletes have to travel to other facilities in other communities to train and compete.
Other events, including school sports days, have had to be cancelled because the track was deemed unsafe.
The weed-infested track has produced Olympians in the past. High jumper Michael Mason did his first ever high jump at the track, and Olympic athlete Alycia Butterworth trained and personally donated her recent winnings to help raise funds.
The track is also, however, where Paralympic athlete Michelle Stilwell could not train because there is no wheelchair access.
"A new track for Oceanside would mean accessibility for everyone in the community," said Desvaux. "We want to call it the track of dreams, and if we build it, they will come and run."
A fundraising effort is underway to raise money for a new track, including a GoFundMe page.
It will cost $1.5 million to build a new facility, and fundraisers are still looking to raise another $650,000. They are looking for a couple big donors to come forward and help them cross the finish line.
The facility is behind Ballenas Secondary and is on school grounds, but the school district is making it available for the whole community. A shared use agreement with the Regional District of Nanaimo has been put in place as well.
"The school has generously donated this as a shared use track so we can get to this $1.5 million," said Desvaux.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Body of Quebec man who died in Cuba found in Russia, family confirms
A Montreal-area family confirmed to CTV News that the body of their loved one who died while on vacation in Cuba is being repatriated to Canada after it was mistakenly sent to Russia.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Saskatchewan isn't remitting the carbon tax on home heating. Why isn't my province following suit?
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
RCMP officers had no legal authority to enter man's home, make arrest: B.C. court
A B.C. man has been found not guilty of assaulting two RCMP officers – with the court finding he was resisting an "unlawful entry and arrest" in his home before he was tasered, taken down and hauled away in handcuffs.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.