North Bay businesses could receive a boost now that city council has voted to approve a $9-million outdoor sports complex in the city's south end.
The complex will be built on 82 acres of land adjacent to Sunset Public School, located on Lakeshore Drive.
North Bay City Council gave the go-ahead at a regular council meeting on June 15 to start the project, which includes three full-sized sports fields, two of which are expected to be artificial turf, along with four baseball diamonds.
Mayor Vic Fedeli said it's going to attract tournaments the city couldn't attract before, which will boost the local economy.
“Because we're going to make it a competitive venue, this will be an absolutely fabulous economic development tool,” he said.
“This will put us in the sports game.”
Fedeli said he doesn't know when the project will be completed, but hopes it will be by late fall 2010.
Talk of an outdoor sports complex began after a 2005 outdoor field feasibility study identified the city's need for three full-sized sports fields and one baseball diamond. The study suggested North Bay fields were overused and often undersized.
“There's a huge demand for sports fields, especially soccer fields, in North Bay,” said Fedeli. “We have several thousand kids who play and we're continually short of fields, so there's a quality of life aspect.”
The announcement comes after the proposal for the field was accepted by the federal and provincial governments on June 5 under the Building Canada Fund. To cover the $9 million needed for the complex, each of the three levels of government is contributing $3 million. The stimulus money must be spent before April 2011.
City council has issued a request for a design proposal for the complex. The construction will begin immediately after the city takes possession of the privately-owned vacant property on July 3.
“It's shovel-ready,” said Fedeli. “It starts the next day.”
The site will be prepped this year while the design is being finalized. The fields will be built next year. Consultation with user groups and the community will be part of the process.
With the 82 acres having frontage along the Lavase River, there is an opportunity to preserve the river frontage and maybe introduce trails, said Fedeli.
