West Van council acknowledges cry for more local ice sports facilities | Spare News
Local hockey groups are urging the West Vancouver City Council to prioritize the needs of rink users and to recognize the lack of ice surface currently available to the community.
On Monday night, the West Vancouver District Council Chamber was packed with ice users of all stripes.
Members of the West Vancouver Minor Hockey Association have expressed concern about the district’s inadequate athletic facilities, while the Vancouver Skating Club and the local BC Hockey team have asked for assistance.
“We, as a community of ice users, are underserved by our community,” said Tom Oberti, president of the West Vancouver Minor Hockey Association.
“There is a pretty desperate need for additional ice surface in the community. A public ice sheet is quite deficient in relation to our population,” he said, adding that the team is currently forced to rent practice ice at private facilities in North Vancouver and sometimes at rinks as far north as Burnaby.
“The costs are exorbitant,” he added.
Oberti said West Vancouver’s current arena, built in 1967 on 22nd Street and home to a 15,000-square-foot ice rink, is insufficient to meet the needs of local hockey players, figure skaters and other athletes.
The existing arena is “booked out” every day from 6 a.m. to 10:45 p.m., he said, and is even open and full on public holidays.
“Demand far outstrips supply,” he continued, adding that he would love to see his two daughters try their hand at figure skating, but due to a lack of facilities, their options are limited.
In 2018, the West Vancouver Community Centers Society proposed a plan that would include an expansion of the community center to include a larger ice rink alongside other amenities such as a senior citizen recreation facility. Another idea had been circulated to replace the ice arena within five years, swapping it for a new sportsplex at the corner of Gordon Avenue and 21st Street that would include a new regulation-size ice rink, as well as a second ice rink for recreational skating.
Oberti appeared before the council at the time to support the plan and to comment on the needs of ice users even then. The plan was finally put on the table.
“It’s time to plan for the future. We are committed to ensuring that these ice users are considered when planning the district, as we currently see no evidence of this, whether in the Oberland plan or in the renewal of existing facilities,” he said.
Oberti said he doesn’t expect the council to immediately commit to a new ice sheet, but he hoped they would recognize the plight of local sports communities – and recognize that a solution would have to be found somewhere later.
“We’re aware of the processes involved in building new facilities like this, so we’re not naïve to think that the council will come back and say they’re going to build an arena,” he said. “We are not married to any solution. We are just looking for a future plan.”
The prospect of revitalizing or expanding the rink was welcomed by all council members, with West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager and council members Oberti for his tireless work as a volunteer for the association and for bringing the issue to their attention has, have thanked.
Sager said the council would make a “significant announcement” about a new sports facility, either in Cypress Village or in the Park Royal redevelopment, and that an ice rink would be considered a community facility.
Meanwhile, he suggested to Oberti that he write a list of suggestions for how the council can help preserve the rink that is available.
Council member Nora Gambioli, after praising Oberti’s efforts, said $831,000 of the current 2023 budget proposal is proposed for the preservation of ice arena assets.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the Indigenous and Civic Affairs reporter for North Shore News. This reporting cycle is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
[email protected]/ Mina Kerr Lazenby