Recreation: ACOA comes through with needed final third of funding to repair Forest Hills facility
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL
SAINT JOHN - Wendy Papadopoulos used to walk by the decrepit Forest Hills field with her two children and wonder how it could go to waste.
Wendy Papadopoulos, with her daughter, Mary, beside her and Mary’s friends, sisters Amy and Natalie Walker, at the Forest Hills field.
"I saw a field that could otherwise be used by the kids in the neighbourhood and it's all fenced in and not safe," she said.
As a member of the parent school support committee at Forest Hills school on the east side, she thought there might be a way she could make a difference.
"I picked up a ball that several different people had been running with over the past 10 years," she said.
And after a year of meetings and negotiations, Papadopoulos finally got the call she was waiting for on Wednesday afternoon.
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency told her it would cover a third of construction costs to repair the old field this spring.
"It's really great news," she said. "It's a big project and an important project for our neighbourhood."
It could cost around $800,000 to repair the field, with the province paying for a third and the City of Saint John and School District 8 covering the rest.
The field was rebuilt for the Canada Games in 1985 but by 1998, sinkholes started to appear, which made it dangerous for sports and activities. The field has been closed because it is unsafe.
"This field has been on people's radar for a long time," Papadopoulos said.
But it has been difficult to get all levels of government together to find a solution.
The field is owned by the province but sits on school board land and is used by city groups.
Over time, the sinkholes have only worsened, said Roly MacIntyre, MLA for Saint John East.
The field was built around wood pylons contaminated with creosote, he said.
"What's starting to happen is the soil is starting to work its way around the old pylons," MacIntyre said, adding the Department of the Environment had to be engaged to deal with soil issues.
"It's an awful mess to have around the school," he said.
But, "we're going to build the field for the kids, no matter what. A promise is a promise."
He expects a call for tenders to go out within the next three weeks.
The field has also been a major priority for Coun. Bruce Court, who represents the city's east ward.
"I'm glad to see it's going to come about," he said Wednesday. "It'll be a benefit for all the kids in east Saint John."
Papadopoulos said the closed-off field was highlighted as a priority in Senator John Wallace's recreation report released four years ago.
There were times she thought the project would never happen, but perseverance has paid off, she said Wednesday, after hearing the news.
"I think it's just a healthier community if you can just finish your supper and walk over to the field," she said.
"Everybody needs to do what they can to do their best to make their community a better place to live.
