That sound is only growing louder.
A rally protesting a planned synthetic turf, multi-purpose youth sports field and parade grounds near the waterfront will occur Wednesday evening outside Barrie City Hall.
City council essentially approved the field, to be located east of Military Heritage Park, and an addition to recently renamed General John Hayter Southshore Community Centre for the Sea Cadets new home, on May 15.
The field would measure 100-by-154 metres in size, with the the Southshore addition being 600 square metres, and cost a combined $9.15 million to build. The field would be for soccer, rugby, football and lacrosse, as well as marching. There could also be amenities such as lighting, benches and site furnishings.
But voices behind the rally want councillors to take another look at building the field there.
Laila Beniston, who lives in northwest Barrie, says the rally is about taking a stand and giving people information.
“Council needs to be aware that it’s not just a handful of Allandale residents that are whining,” she said. “I use the waterfront regularly as a walker and a kayaker. I like that quiet, pristine part of the waterfront, which is the only one we have left.”
But Beniston, a senior, said not enough Barrie residents know what’s being planned there.
“We are not happy with not only the project, but the way it’s been handled,” she said. “People are unclear what the details are.”
Allandale resident Brian Miller, 62, said the rally is about getting a message to councillors.
“They don’t seem to want to listen to the people that are opposed,” he said. “I don’t know how many are going to come (to the rally), 30 or 100.
“We have to send a message to council to say please bring this (approval motion) back,” Miller added. “Vote on it again. I personally think this rally, if anything, is about sending that message to council.”
Michele Newton, a Minet’s Point resident, says she sees great potential in Wednesday’s gathering.
“The rally is going to be great to raise visibility of this issue,” she said. “Not every resident of Barrie has been following all of the news and when there’s more exposure, other people will hear about it and people who hadn’t been able to hear about it … this is their opportunity to come and put their voice with others, send a message to the members of council.
“Also, any rally builds momentum," Newton added.
Rally organizer Arnie Ivsins is encouraging Barrie residents who do not agree with the multi-purpose sports field being located on Barrie's waterfront to meet outside city hall on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for a peaceful rally.
Ivsins also has problems with how residents learned about the sports field.
“No public notifications. No public meetings. No public consultations,” he said.
When it was approved May 15, only Coun. Jim Harris, who represents this part of Barrie, and Coun. Amy Courser voted against building the sports field there.
A simple majority of council is required to revisit a motion within six months of its approval or defeat.
Miller says he’s a sports enthusiast, loves the outdoors, is always biking down there and taking his dog for a walk at the site.
“It’s always busy over at Centennial Beach,” he said. “It’s so nice to get over to that section where it’s quiet, it’s peaceful and that’s the last area of the waterfront where you can actually enjoy that.
“This is about the very last natural chunk of land on our waterfront," Miller added.
What the rally accomplishes around the city council table is, of course, unknown.
“I’m not going to hold my breath, waiting for a positive response,” Beniston said, “but in my world if we don’t try the answer is definitely no. I am a taxpayer and I do like to use that part of our waterfront.”
The city says there will be more public consultation on the sports field, which could include a public information session, with feedback.
A permit is required from Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), because its regulated area crosses the sports field’s top portion, and an archaeological assessment is also needed.
This property is zoned and designated open space (OS), which permits the development of a multi-purpose sports field. Accessory uses permitted in OS zoning include bleachers, a club house, concession stand, refreshment pavilion or booth. Parking is also permitted within OS zoning. A paved asphalt, 35-stall parking lot is proposed for the sports field.
The project includes a premium synthetic turf, multi-purpose sports field concept, and is estimated to cost $4.6 million. The funding would come from three city reserves — development charges, tax capital and cash-in-lieu of parkland.
From the date of project approval by council to project completion, the proposed sports field project requires a minimum of 16 months to build, including the winter season.
The Sea Cadets, long located near the Spirit Catcher, would move to a 600-sq.-m. addition to the General John Hayter Southshore Community Centre, a northerly extension to the basement of the existing building. It comes with a $4.55-million price tag.
At this point, $300,000 has been committed for the addition’s plan and design. City staff will report back to councillors for future construction funding approval, once costing is refined through the design process. No funding source for the Southshore addition has been identified by the city.
There is a petition, started May 7, 2024, to ‘say no to developing a multi-use sports field and parade grounds at the south shore and Allandale Park’, with 3,897 signatures as of this afternoon. Click here to visit the petition.
There is also a petition, started June 7, 2023, that the ‘Navy League Barrie petitions the City of Barrie for a multi-use facility on Kempenfelt Bay’ with 2,055 signatures, again as of Tuesday afternoon. Click here to see that petition.
