Planning for the Future of Recreation
The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) is planning for the long-term renewal and expansion of recreation facilities and amenities across the Comox Valley.
In 2023, the Comox Valley Recreation Commission identified priorities to help address growing demand for recreation services, improve access to facilities and support sustainable infrastructure planning. Priorities included a second artificial turf field, potential aquatic and ice facility improvements, sports field amenities and emissions-reduction planning.
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The 2017 CVRD Indoor Recreation Facilities Masterplan was developed which made a number of recommendations for infrastructure upgrades and examination of additional facilities.
With the significant growth experienced by the Comox Valley since the last major investment in recreational infrastructure, the Commission recognized in 2019 the need for a comprehensive long-term plan to ensure the sustainable development and delivery of these vital services.
In 2023, the Recreation Strategic Plan developed and proposed a pathway to address the most desired needs for the future, which included a turf field, a potential new ice surface, an expansion to the Aquatic Centre, and investment in field amenities throughout the region (while also trying to address decarbonization and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)).
- February 21, 2023: the Comox Valley Recreation Commission completed a strategic planning session to establish the vision, goals and priorities for recreation services in the Comox Valley (outlined above).
- March 2, 2023: a capital development workshop was held to determine capital facility priorities and set a roadmap to achieve the objectives.
- March 21, 2023: the Recreation Commission was presented the financial forecast and capital plan options.
Since March 2023, staff have been working with the Commission to move forward on the roadmap and continue with feasibility studies and other findings to determine next steps.
Where We Are / Next Steps - August 2024
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In 2022, the CVRD undertook a two-phase engagement process with the public and current user groups to examine adult ice use and allocation. The results of the survey led to some changes/additions to public programs, including an expanded Comox Valley Hockey League. Although the intent of the engagement was to examine ice allocation in the Comox Valley, it became apparent that further examination of an additional ice surface was needed to accommodate the growth and demand for ice use.
In March 2023, the Comox Valley Recreation Commission approved the Recreation Strategic Plan and identified the investigation of:
- A new full-size arena;
- Consideration of 1,500 to 2,000 seats either as an expansion to Arena 1 or attached to a new arena; and
- Addition of six to eight dressing rooms.
Four arena concept designs are being presented for consideration, ranging in cost from approximately $37.6 million to $49.6 million for a community rink, and $70.3 million to $100.1 million for a spectator arena (while ensuring a net-zero standard on any new construction configurations).
In 2024, a business case analysis was conducted that examines the opportunities, benefits, and costs of constructing and operating:
- A spectator arena attached to the Sports Centre;
- A spectator arena adjacent to the Sports Centre that also provides additional storage and community use space; or
- A community rink attached to the Sports Centre (similar to Arena 2).
Borrowing options will be brought to the Commission in the fall of 2024 within the context of a 20-year long-term capital plan for Recreation.
For more information on Arena 3 and the elements presented to the Comox Valley Recreation Commission:
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In 2008, the Sports Field Inventory recommended constructing two artificial turf fields to serve the Comox Valley's population of 63,000. One field was built at G.P. Vanier Secondary School in 2014, next to the 400m track.
The Inventory was updated by the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) in 2022/2023 with the Sports Fields Strategy. The Strategy recommended a second artificial turf field for the growing population of 74,000, projected to increase to 88,000 by 2030 and 95,000 by 2040. This growth could lead to up to 125 new teams!
But why another artificial turf field? Although grass fields are important, they deteriorate quickly in wet months, increasing maintenance and remediation costs. A second artificial turf field with lighting provides capacity for growing sports to play year -round past sunset.
To address the growing needs, in 2023 the CVRD Recreation Commission adopted a Strategic Plan which identified a second artificial turf field at G.P. Vanier as an immediate short-term priority.
In May 2023, Comox Valley Schools supported the CVRD's request to develop plans for this new field to be constructed on the upper grass field at G.P. Vanier Secondary School. Without their support and donation of land, this project would not be possible.
Project Overview
Through consultation with various sport user groups, four conceptual designs for a new multi-sport artificial turf field were developed. Ultimately, an 8,790 m² design was chosen, accommodating baseball, soccer, men's and women's field lacrosse and field hockey as well as practice space for rugby and football.
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Cost
The Artificial Turf Field is expected to cost $5.94 million, paid for through a combination of grant funding, reserves, and debt funding.
The expected cost of borrowing to homeowners, for an average house valued at $800,000, is approximately $10.98 per year until the debt is retired, however, a tax increase is not projected due to a corresponding reduction in reserve contributions.
In September 2024, the Comox Valley Recreation Commission passed a motion to proceed with the Artificial Turf Field project with $3,000,000 financed through long-term borrowing over 10 years so that a field may be constructed in 2025.
On October 8, 2024 the CVRD Board gave three readings to the following loan authorization bylaw:
Bylaw No. 848 being "Comox Valley Track and Fields Service Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 848, 2024"Alternative Approval Process
In January 2025 an alternative approval process was held to seek assent of the electorate before proceeding with the adoption of Bylaw No. 848.
The Alternative Approval Process applied only to the municipalities of the City of Courtenay and Town of Comox and the electoral areas of Area B (Lazo North), Area C (Puntledge - Black Creek) and a portion of Electoral Area A (Baynes Sound – Denman/Hornby Islands). Only residents and property owners within the service area were eligible to participate in the AAP. It is noted that the Village of Cumberland and Denman and Hornby Islands are not within the service area and therefore not eligible to participate.
The Alternative Approval Process concluded on February 18, 2025 and on February 25, 2025, the Regional Board reviewed the results on the process and decided to proceed with adoption of Bylaw 848.
Board Decisions following AAP results News Release
Next Steps
Tendering of the project will take place starting at the end of May 2025. Provided that the tenders for the construction of the project come in within budget, the project is tentatively set to start construction in July 2025.
Preparation of the site and site amenities will undergo construction through the summer of 2025. The laying of the turf top will take place in the Spring of 2026.
Background Reports
- Staff Report (September 24, 2024) - Borrowing Options
- Staff Report (June 25, 2024) – Additional Artificial Turf Field Update
- Staff Report (February 13, 2024) – Artificial Turf Field Budget Options
- Staff Report (November 21, 2023) – Artificial Turf Field Design and Borrowing Options
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Under the new Recreation Strategic Plan, the development of a Decarbonization Strategy and Roadmap (DSR) was identified to meet the Comox Valley Regional District’s (CVRD) targets set out in the Corporate Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP). The CEEP set a target of a 50 per cent reduction over 2019 GHG emissions by 2030 across the portfolio, and net zero emissions by 2050, defined as a minimum of 90 per cent emissions reduction.
The DSR was presented in May 2024 and identified 19 key recommended measures, in addition to continuous optimization strategies, to achieve the 2030 and 2050 emissions targets for the recreation facilities. Results of the DSR showed the following:
- Replacing existing building systems according to current capital replacement schedules with like-for-like components will cost $6,954,872 between now and 2050 (not including escalation). The cost to upgrade these components to meet CEEP targets and reduce GHG emissions is an additional $7,676,964, bringing the total capital cost in today’s dollars to $14,633,836.
- When cost escalation estimates are included, like-for-like replacement costs according to current capital replacement schedules is estimated to be $8,744,307 and the incremental cost to decarbonize the facilities is estimated to be $10,257,303, for a combined total capital cost of $19,001,610.
Learn more: Staff Report (May 7, 2024) – Decarbonization Strategy and Roadmap
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On September 24, 2024 staff will be presenting to the Comox Valley Recreation Commission with options for a draft 20-year capital plan that includes:
- Annual capital maintenance;
- Borrowing scenarios and options for a new arena;
- Borrowing options for a second artificial turf field;
- Borrowing options for an expansion to the Aquatic Centre; and
- Integration of the Decarbonization Strategy and Roadmap into the long-term capital plan.
As noted in the Recreation Strategic Plan, staff will be working on the development of a pool expansion feasibility study for the Aquatic Centre in 2025.
- Annual capital maintenance;
Strategic Plan Elements
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The Sports Fields Study commenced in June 2022 and included research and engagement with 11 user groups and 486 responses through a public field use survey. A condition assessment on the state of the fields was completed through the summer and fall. The Study includes recommendations for:
- Potential locations of a second artificial turf field.
- Investment in improvements to sports fields around the region such as:
- Added lighting
- Improved washrooms
- Upgrades to field access
- Development of a region-wide field allocation policy and booking system.
Staff Report (February 6, 2023) – 2023 Sports Fields Study
Technical Appendix – 2023 Sports Fields Study -
In January 2023, the first draft of the Comox Valley Aquatic Strategy was presented to the Recreation Commission and City of Courtenay for review. It was developed in response to earlier Facility Condition Assessments which concluded that both the CVRD Sports Centre Pool and the City of Courtenay and District Memorial Outdoor Pool are nearing the end of their expected lifespans. The study included:
- Review of planning documents including pertinent Official Community Plans (OCPs), Master Plans, and facility assessment reports.
- Evaluating our services based on analysis of aquatic services in other jurisdictions.
- Trends and leading practices for aquatics services delivery and programming.
- Supply and demand assessment of aquatics.
- Community engagement.
The Strategy includes options for analysis that are intended to inform the Recreation Commission in their consideration of capital infrastructure for community recreation services, and to ensure that long-term facility plans align with community expectations for aquatic services.
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The 2017 CVRD Indoor Recreation Facilities Masterplan was developed which made a number of recommendations for infrastructure upgrades and examination of additional facilities such as an additional sheet of ice. Through engagement with adult ice users in 2022, it became apparent that there is a growing demand for programming, but the two facilities cannot meet the growing demand.
To address these challenges, the Recreation Commission has supported the development of a feasibility study to examine the options for a third arena. The feasibility study was completed in July 2024 and now the CVRD is moving forward with a business case analysis to examine which option(s) may be most suitable for the community.
Ice: What We Know
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- In 2022, the CVRD undertook stakeholder engagement to learn more about ice use. Nearly 1,200 people completed the survey, with 69.4 per cent identifying as current ice surface users. Of those, 28.6 per cent said they would like to participate in more activities.
- The most used activity of participants was the Everyone Welcome Drop-in Skates.
- Non-users identified drop-in skating as the activity they were most interested in.
- Key challenges for non-users included feeling unclear about how to get involved and that scheduling didn’t work for them.
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- As the arenas and equipment age, maintaining the current facilities to keep up with popularity is a critical task for the CVRD.
- Maintenance of Arena 1 ice slab was completed during the 2023 off-season and included an analysis of its condition.
- Along with the ice surface maintenance, other priorities include improvements to the mezzanine, parking and external entry, and improved spectator seating and safety in Arena 1.
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- Planning for the future of our ice facilities – including a possible expansion – have been on the CVRD’s radar for 15+ years.
- A leisure ice pad was originally envisioned as part of the 1998 construction of Arena 2, however budget constraints made it not possible.
- In 2017, the Indoor Recreation Facilities Masterplan included the proposed addition of a leisure ice pad and a new full-size ice arena for consideration.
- In 2019, the Comox Valley Recreation Commission made the long-term planning for all recreation facilities to be a strategic priority – bringing together plans to create a direction forward.
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