As Cranbrook city council and staff continue to grapple with the location for a proposed indoor multi-use facility, volunteers continue to fundraise for the project as Western Financial Group recently donated $5,000 towards the cause.
That brings the fundraising tally from multiple private, corporate and grant donations just shy of $1 million for the proposed facility, which is envisioned to be a 2,600 square metres space of indoor heated floors on artificial turf.
The latest donation came from Western Financial Group, which applied for a grant from it’s charitable arm, Western Communities Foundation, after being approached by the facility fundraisers.
“We think the sports dome is going to be a great asset to the community,” said James Hall, the regional vice president for Western Financial Group. “…When we heard about this potential sport, indoor fieldhouse going up, we thought we want to get behind it, that’s a good thing for our town and we want to help in any way we can.”
City hall is preparing a report that will recommend a suitable location for the facility. Both sides have been debating an appropriate place as the city had offered land up in Moir Park, however, others wished to see a more central location in Balment Park.
READ: City nearing completion of report for indoor facility
The proposed facility has the potential to benefit a number of community sports organizations that include soccer, baseball, football, lacrosse and much more.
Sam Heap, the technical director for the Kootenay East Youth Soccer Association and the regional coach for the Vancouver Whitecaps, says the indoor facility would be a huge asset for developing youth soccer players in the winter months.
“It would make it so much easier to build talent in this area, because there’s some very, very good, fundamentally good players, but it’s very hard for six months of the year not being able to play on a surface that benefits their game,” Heap said.
“It’s needed, it’s been crying out for the last couple of years, and I think we’re at the stage now from both KEYSA and Whitecaps point of view that we’ve got groups of players that are desperate for it, that will really flourish.”
Since arriving in Cranbrook five years ago, Heap has seen the KEYSA program grow to 700 youth soccer players, while the Whitecaps program continues to expand with 120 players in the system.
“Until we get this indoor facility, we’re not going to take that next step as a soccer community, as a sport community, I think, so we need something like this,” Heap said.
The Bandits baseball program is also eyeing the benefits of an indoor facility that could go beyond supporting youth baseball, according to head coach Paul Mrazek.
Mrazek said the program has continued to grow after it won the Montana American Legion state championship in 2014, and now field junior and senior teams in the summer.
An indoor facility would only help grow the program and skill development with amenities such as batting cages and a larger space for infield and outfield training so that players can get opportunities at the college and university level.
“It’s going to be great for all sports, it’s going to be great for the kids, they’re going to be excited being in a new facility,” said Mrazek. “New technology, the turf, space to be able to run practices and do what we do. With some of our sports groups, the schools are great and they support us, but sometimes that elementary-sized gym isn’t big enough for what we’re doing.”
However, conversations are also underway with national and local organizations about potentially having a local college baseball team, if there’s the infrastructure in place to support it, Mrazek added.
“…I’ve been in talks with the College of the Rockies about whether or not they would support baseball, so we’re talking about that and I’ve had a couple of discussions with the president of the Canadian College Baseball Conference,” he said.
“He seems to be leaning towards it, as long as we have everything that we need to support a college baseball team, such as the ball park, the umpires, and a big thing is, if we’re going to recruit, well, where are we going to practice in the offseason? This facility is huge in making that a reality.”
Daniel Herrick is heading up the Rocky Mountain Rams football program, another organization that is advocating for an indoor facility that could positively benefit their activities and training.
Right now, the players can do strength and physical training, but without a large indoor facility to practice formations and running set plays, it’s difficult to hone and develop those skills over the winter months.
“Obviously a facility like this helps us in the winter, having some camps, being able to do things inside,” he said, “even if it’s just once every couple of weeks, just being able to stay in contact with the kids and provide them more opportunities to improve their skills.”
Mike Robinson, the key volunteer behind the fundraising effort and the vision to build the facility, will be appearing as a delegation in front of city council next week as officials plot a way forward for the project.