Construction of a new fieldhouse at Port Moody’s Inlet Field is expected to begin next year.
Although how much the facility will cost is yet to be determined as design work is only 50 per cent complete.
Last Friday, May 17, civic officials were joined by local representatives from the provincial and federal governments as well as the kwikwəƛə̓m (Kwikwetlem) First Nation to officially open the new $8-million turf playing surface for soccer and softball on Murray Street. It replaces a dusty old all-weather field that largely functioned as a parking lot in recent years.
The FIFA-regulation pitch, along with softball diamonds at two opposite corners, has already been in use for several weeks.
Mayor Meghan Lahti said the upgraded facility will be transformational for the city.
“I have no doubt that it will have a positive impact on Port Moody’s sense of community for many years to come,” she said.
Rick Glumac, the MLA for Port Moody-Coquitlam, said the playing field and accompanying new playground are “essential for Port Moody’s growth as a vibrant city.”
The B.C. government contributed $4.3 million to the project, while the city pitched in $3.5 million and the federal government added another $206,415.
In addition to the sports field and playground, the project includes new batting cages, the planting of more than 350 trees and over 6,000 shrubs and other greenery as well as a new raised boardwalk to view the surrounding environs. The new parking lot includes two EV charging stations.
Matthew Campbell, the president of the Port Moody Soccer Club, said the facility will ease pressure on the city’s two other turf pitches to accommodate its growing membership that ranges from two-year-old tykes to adult recreational teams as well as academy and adaptive programs.
But the addition of a fieldhouse will be the final piece of the puzzle “that holds it all together.”
As the old cinderblock fieldhouse at Inlet Field was demolished to accommodate the redevelopment project, Campbell said PMSC is currently storing its gear like nets, balls and flags at various sheds and repurposed dressing rooms around the city along with the Kyle Community Centre.
He said a new fieldhouse would also become a community hub that could be accessed by different user groups to hold meetings or events.
Lahti said the fieldhouse should be a “showcase” for the city, with meeting rooms, a concession, as well as washroom, changing and storage facilities. She said seating could even be integrated into its design.
That design should be ready by the fall.
