Classes may be out right now but that isn’t stopping the mayor of Bridgewater from questioning field use at Park View Education Centre.
David Mitchell says he learned that the Panthers girls rugby team was forced to practice on the front lawn of the school last season and play games at Centre Scolaire de la Rive Sud.
He says the town contributes money to the province for education and that includes field use.
“The reality is you have a field, it gets damaged. Right now, Kinsmen Field is offline until August becaue we’ve had to repair it but if you’re not using it as a field then it’s just a lawn.”
Mitchell says it doesn’t seem right that the field is only used for certain sports or functions.
He says the town has had some discussion with the school board about creating a facility agreement for town and school fields to make sure they are being used and kids are as active as possible.
Meanwhile, the chair of the Park View Community Field Society says use has a lot to do with weather.
Dean McDow says Spring can be very wet, and Park View like many other local schools, designates a time when the fields are dry enough and can be used.
He says that time is usually towards the middle or end of May which is near the end of the season for the girls rugby team.
McDow says other local fields like Kinsmen or Lahave that are run and supported by the town or municipality may have the ability to open sooner and have access to increased resources to deal with field damage.
He adds, with only one grass field surface at Park View, ensuring that it is not opened too early, helps keep it playable in both the Summer and Fall.
McDow says the society will continue to make decisions that are in the best interest of the longevity of the field.
