City moves into the 21st century in field facilities

Municipality needs to be more supportive of local initiatives, less restrictive to new events

As Thanksgiving weekend approaches, local sports and recreational fans have plenty to be thankful for.

Uppermost, the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers solidified the city’s hold on being arguably the most successful and consistently winning lacrosse community in Canada.

The Lakers’ victory over the Langley Thunder, giving the team its fourth consecutive Mann Cup championship, could not have been done without the undying support of the lacrosse fan base and the devoted volunteer structure that maintains this solid minor lacrosse base that perpetuates the championship runs.

For this just past Mann Cup run, the loyalty of the fans and the volunteers that support the team, was severely tests by a disastrous beginning to the current season because of some childish actions of a few so-called lacrosse people in other communities. The record crowds in the PMC not only supported the Lakers, they may have saved major/ senior lacrosse in Ontario.

Also taxpayers and recreational supporters in the city are reluctantly thankful the near decade-long attempt by the city to replace the

y be approaching a solution with the announcement construction of the new twin-pad arena, library branch and future aquatics centre could start this fall.

Maybe, after 10 years of the city’s dawdling, confusions, incompetence and procrastination, twinpad supporters are closer to a solution. That being said, the announced two-year construction schedule leaves taxpayers with more pessimism than thankfulness.

Longtime patrons of sporting events at the Peterborough Memorial Centre may have a two-decadelong appeal to reinstitute standing areas in the PMC for Petes hockey and Lakers lacrosse answered.

The recent announcement revealed a plan to create a designated permanent standing area just behind the glass at the south end of the PMC in front of the restaurant.

After the 2003 renovation of the PMC, a number of longtime standees for the local teams felt abandoned.

Since the building opening in 1956, a number of fans enjoyed watching the events from the standing areas behind the seats on the east and west sides of the PMC.

In fact, many purchasers of seats would end up standing for many games. The new area, at ice level, may never be as popular as the former perches, but it does give some fans an alternative with access to the restaurant.

After the sloppy way the city handled the current twin-pad plans, we can be thankful it did step up and address an ill-thought-out recreational fields policy. For years, spring field sports, including both schools and community teams, had their seasons curtailed by ill-advised restrictions of both schools, which the city controlled, and community fields.

At the time, it appeared to be the opinion in the inner-sanction of City Hall that all city and school fields had to reach bowling-green quality before teams could play on them.

The city, working with the boards of education, put in the all-weather field at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School, the twin fields at Fleming College and the just opened field at Holy Cross Secondary School, moving into the 21st century in field facilities.

Finally, the entire city of Peterborough should be thankful we have one of the most effective, hardworking, extensive volunteer networks that allows for the extensive and varied sports and recreational opportunities for all citizenry, especially for our youth and senior citizens.

All the tournaments and events that bring thousands of visitors to city would not be possible withthe out the volunteers to plan and run them. The recent Ontario 55+ Summer Games and all the pre-COVID events that are starting to reorganize again make Peterborough what it is today.

Hopefully, as we move forward, the city becomes even more supportive of local initiatives and much less restrictive to new events and sports.