Controversy over proposed pool site

It is turf where Barrhead’s best baseball teams have competed before enthusiastic crowds in bleachers. The Orioles played there, so too the Blue Jays. It was the pride of a proud sporting tradition.

Now it could become the site of a different type of contest, with something more than championships or bragging rights at stake. At issue is the future of the ground.

The major baseball diamond opposite the Agrena may be ripped out to make way for a new swimming pool, a prospect predicted to divide some sports enthusiasts and the town council that made the decision.

The council chose the potential site at its March 12 meeting. While the decision was voted on in open session, the debate was in camera.

One of those opposed to the way the council came to its decision is a key person in the pool project, Shannon Carlson, president of the Barrhead and District Agrena Society.

He is responsible for spearheading a fundraising drive to cover part of the building costs for the pool, expected to run to several million dollars.

Carlson does not believe the council communicated enough with the society before reaching a decision that he considers ill thought-out.

The society favours a site north of the existing pool.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of opposition to the council’s decision, once people get to hear about it,” he said last Tuesday.

“This is the only major baseball diamond in Barrhead which is suitable for adults.

“I don’t believe it is right to remove a facility like this and not replace it with anything.”

Coun. Dave McKenzie, who is also on the town’s recreation board, said plans for a new aquatic centre had been on the table for several years and the council had carefully weighed possible site options.

“It certainly wasn’t a 20-minute decision. We had to consider future development and the grand plan for recreation,” he said last Thursday. “A lot of issues had to be taken into consideration. It was felt the location was the best one that fitted into the plan.”

McKenzie said relocating the ball diamond to one of the county halls was an idea worth considering to meet any objections. Another possibility was reconfiguring an existing diamond.

Mayor Brian Schulz said at this stage the location of the pool was not as important as the costs. Until costs were known, a final decision on the pool could not be made.

“The biggest factor will be cost. As it sits we probably can’t afford to build a pool on our own without help from our friends in the community and the county council,” he said.

Carlson said the major diamond had been in existence for as long as he could remember and was a centrepiece of Barr-head baseball.

There was a time when Barr-head fielded a men’s team powerful enough to compete with sides from Edmonton and Calgary.

“We used to have a really competitive team,” said Carlson. “Baseball was very big. We’ve had loads of good teams through the years. Unfortunately, I believe baseball suffered as sports like soccer grew in popularity. But there is no reason why it can’t bounce back.”

Although there had been a baseball lull recently, said Carlson, there was a young up and coming Barrhead team that would suffer from the loss of the major diamond.

While there were three other baseball diamonds by the Agrena, these did not have pitching mounds and were too small for older players serious about the sport. They were better for games like softball, he said.

The remaining two diamonds in Barrhead were on the high school grounds, he added, but were also unsuitable for adult baseball.

Carlson, who agrees there are no easy options, raised his concerns about the proposed pool site at Monday’s town council meeting.

He said the society had been “dumbfounded” by the action of the council and the way the decision was made. The society had hoped for more communication.

“We felt pretty slighted by the way we were treated,” he said.

Carlson said he did not believe enough thought had gone into the location of the pool. The society had put forward its proposals for a site, only to find the council had gone in a different direction, he said. The council decision came out of “left field.”

Carlson said the society needed to fund-raise on the basis of a location for the pool.

Coun. Shelley Oswald said the pool project had to be seen as a community venture.

Her thinking was that any decision had to be founded on a long-term view of the site, and how it might look in 10, 15 or 20 years. It was important to consider what additions may be made to the location down the road.

“I think it’s important that we continue to talk and move forward,” she said.

She added there was a need for groups to come to the recreation board and discover what facilities Barrhead had and discuss their future.

“Hopefully, we can work together,” said deputy mayor Roy Ulmer, who was chairing the meeting in Schulz’s absence. Ulmer praised the Agrena society for “the tremendous job” it did in fund-raising for the Agrena.

He added he was all in favour of Barrhead having a baseball diamond area.

In a Feb. 22 letter to the town’s recreation board, Carlson said in January the society had asked its newly appointed architect, Steve Bushnell of Barr Ryder Architects to provide a few options for the location of the new pool. Four options were presented.

“In a meeting February 21, our building committee made the following recommendations,” the letter stated. “Our first choice would be to the north of the existing pool. During ... discussions with members of town council, the possibility of closing 57th Ave., north of the existing pool and arena was examined.”

“The possible extension of 46th St. north to the industrial park makes this a viable option. Positioning the pool there allows the use of the parking lot to the north in the agricultural grounds, with the Agricultural Society’s approval. This would allow users to access the pool and surrounding facilities from the north or south. Further to this, it allows for the arena and the pool to continue to be attached and uses land that wouldn’t otherwise be used for building,” the letter added.

The letter said the society’s second choice would be to the east of the outdoor rink.

“This location is still close to the arena and other facilities and allows for its own parking area. This location as with our first choice, does not disturb any existing development,” it said.

“The third and fourth options put forward were deemed unsuitable for the pool. Both options are disturbing existing facilities, as well as providing no new parking for the new facility.”

The letter asks the recreation board to consider the society’s recommendations. It also called for the Agricultural Society’s views to be sought.

“Our hope is that all parties concerned can work together on a plan to have Barrhead at the forefront of recreation in northern Alberta,” the letter said.