During last week’s regular meeting, council passed a motion to have a meeting with the Bulkley Valley Soccer Society (BVSS) to discuss the closure of Chandler Park’s soccer fields.
“We’ve been trying to keep the fields open for three years now,” said BVSS administrator Georgia Mack.
Chandler Park’s soccer fields closed this year on Sept. 11, which is unconventionally early for soccer fields in the region, explained Mack.
Mack cited staffing as the reason for the early closure, as all the town staff who were previously tasked to operate the field transitioned to the skating arena in the fall.
“We had a field meeting in April and we voiced our opinions to keep the field open, and we came to an agreement,” said Mack. “And then all of a sudden I got a message in September that the fields were closing.”
During the council meeting, Councillor Frank Wray cited hostilities over a series of emails, between the town and BVSS, as a barrier in coming to an agreement.
“There’s been kind of a tension, I think, between what was expected and what actually got delivered,” explained Wray. In addition to the early field closure, the field quality has also been called into question.
“But right now, our staff are following a landscaping plan and the maintenance field plan that’s meant to get the fields to a better place,” said Wray.
Mack said the reason BVSS is pushing so hard is they financially invested in the Chandler Park fields through various grants.
“It’s been a long, hard show. But I mean, at the end of the day, we want to definitely keep communication open with the Town. We want to have a positive relationship,” said Mack.
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