Stouffville Targets $200 Million Provincial Fund for Sports Infrastructure Upgrades

• Stouffville is applying for support from Ontario’s Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund.
• The program offers $200 million in cost-shared funding to improve existing sports facilities and execute new projects.
• If successful, the Town would use funding to upgrade Bethesda Sports Fields, focusing on enhancing the cricket field.
• Additional grant funding would be deployed to construct a new artificial turf field at the YCDSB school facility on Ninth Line.
• The Town would share the field with YCDSB through a Memorandum of Understanding and hopes the school board will assist with costs.

The Province of Ontario’s Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund (CSRIF) “is a $200 million cost-shared capital funding program delivered by the Ministry of Sport,” a Staff report explains. It aims to upgrade existing sports and recreation infrastructure and support the construction of new facilities.

The CSRIF operates through two grant streams, each requiring separate applications: Stream 1 offers $150,000 to $1 million for repair and rehabilitation, while Stream 2 provides up to $10 million for new-build projects.

Applicable Stream 1 proposals must extend the life and maximize the use of existing facilities. Stouffville hopes to utilize awarded funding for upgrades to Bethesda Sports Fields Community Park, focusing primarily on its cricket field.

“We upgraded our cricket pitch last year, and our cricket bookings have been jammed,” Mayor Iain Lovatt told Bullet Point News. Those upgrades improved the separation between the cricket and soccer fields, allowing them to be used concurrently without interference from errant balls.

If the Stream 1 application is successful, Stouffville will upgrade field lighting to LEDs to reduce utility costs. The plan also includes adding safety netting around the cricket pitch’s perimeter, installing batting and bowling cages, and investigating seating and shade structures. Additional lighting may also be considered.

Stouffville’s Long Range Capital Budget Forecast has identified upgrades to Bethesda Sports Fields and estimates total project costs at $1.6 million. If the CSRIF grant is secured, the municipal expense would be reduced to $800,000.

The Town’s Stream 2 application aims to secure support for constructing a new artificial turf field at the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) facility on Ninth Line. Grass would be removed and excavation conducted to allow for turf installation. New fencing, player and referee shelters, benches, bleacher seating, and lighting would also be added, with consideration for a perimeter track and scoreboard.

“YCDSB would enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Town whereby the land, along with contributions to the annual operating costs, would be made available,” Staff detailed. “The Town would execute the capital project and have exclusive use evenings, weekends, and during the summer. YCDSB would have exclusive use Monday to Friday during the school year.”

A new artificial turf field “would be great because it extends the soccer season into the late fall and allows it to begin much earlier in the spring than normal,” Lovatt said. “We need to protect grass fields from being torn up during those times, so you could play almost nine months of the year on this new turf.”

It would also help meet the Town’s growing demand for soccer facility rentals.

To date, a new artificial turf field has not been recognized or accounted for by the Town. The estimated cost of the field and additional infrastructure is $4.6 million and will not proceed without full cost-sharing through CSRIF’s Stream 2. Should the grant be awarded, Stouffville would fund its approximate $2.3 million share through reserves.

However, since the field would be shared with the schools at YCDSB’s Ninth Line facility, Mayor Lovatt is hopeful the school board will contribute to those costs. “I have not yet had those conversations with YCDSB, and I don’t know if Staff have at this point, but I would like them to contribute 25%,” he said.

“Ideally, Stouffville puts in $1.15 million, YCDSB puts in $1.15 million, and the Province would cover the rest,” Lovatt explained. “It would be a great additional amenity for the town.”