With the new Powerhouse Campus being built, the administration at Frank Maddock High School is looking for volunteers to help get their east field ready for student use as space on the existing sports fields will be tight.
Dr. Lara Jollymore, the principal of FMHS, says the new building will mean there is less room for FMHS students to participate in outdoor Phys Ed. classes. She says between FMHS and the Powerhouse Campus, there will likely be about 900 students who will need to share the space once the school is completed.
“There will be three schools, or five classes, at any given time using the shared outdoor space,” says Jollymore.
All of the funding for the project will have to come from money raised by the Parent Advisory Council and the Blue and Gold Society. Jollymore says the provincial government does not provide funding for any exterior parks around schools. The money must come from the school division and the Wild Rose School Division does not have the funds for it.
Katrina Dawes, the president of the Blue and Gold Society and the president of the Parent Advisory Council for FMHS, says when the campus is built, FMHS will lose the rugby training field that they had. The football field and outdoor track will remain, but the extra space will be gone.
Dawes says this project is important because future students will need the space to keep up with their regular outdoor activities.
To make up for some of that space, administration and PAC is looking at the field east of the Max centre, between the north parking lot and the houses in Aspenview. Previously this space was being used for a community garden and a beach volleyball court, but both are now gone.
“We’re really hoping that the community can help us out,” says Jollymore.
This space is not large enough to host a rugby game, says Dawes, but it is large enough for practice. “We are trying to utilize the areas we have around the school and make a practice field,” says Dawes.
The measurements have all been completed, but the expected cost is going to be anywhere from $250,000 to $300,000. Part of this is because it backs onto a residential area, and they need to make water drainage won’t be a problem for the homes.
Jollymore says there is significant landscaping that will need to be done to make the field safe and ensure it won’t be a nuisance to the nearby residents.
“Everything has got to be done properly,” says Dawes.
While they don’t expect it to be completed in the short term, they do want to get started on it this spring. The length of the project will be dependent on the amount of money raised. If the field has to be seeded it will take longer than sod for it to be usable.
“Luckily, right now, we have a bit of time because H.W. Pickup isn’t open,” says Jollymore. “We still have all of the field space for us.”
Ideally, the field would be ready to use when the new school opens its doors.
Dawes and Jollymore say they are looking for a committee to undertake the work of organizing and fundraising for the project.
Jollymore says the project can be completed in one of two ways. The first involves getting sponsorships, and fundraising to hire contractors to get the field fixed up. The other option is to manage it themselves and reach out to local businesses to donate their time or equipment.
“We’re just in the process of trying to find out who is available to support us in this project, whether that be through money, means, or volunteer time,” says Jollymore.
They want to create awareness for the community and find volunteers to help make this project be successful. The first meeting for this project is on March 3 at 7 p.m. at the Max Centre.
