Residents in Little Burgundy finally got the soccer field they’ve been waiting for, but they can’t use it yet.
New grass was just laid this past spring so the field looks ready— but won’t survive too much trampling. While the grass grows, the field closed to the public with limited access to a few groups for a total of 12 hours a week, leaving residents who have been fighting for a field for years frustrated.
Taufiq Rahman grew up in the area and is disappointed with the borough since the project at Oscar Peterson Park has been years in the making.
“It’s like teasing to my mind, it’s there but not ready,” said Rahman. “12 hours. That's less than two hours daily, that's far from enough.”
The borough put up a fence to stop people from using it, but it’s not much of a deterrent.
“People who work 9-5, their shift ends, they come here and they jump,” said Rahman.
Borough Councillor Alain Vaillancourt says he understands the frustration but urges residents it won’t be closed forever.
“It’s a normal occurrence when you have a natural field and when we increase the hours as the years go on, it’s going to be an exceptional field for kids to play on,” said Vaillancourt.
The total cost to refurbish the field is $900,000. Vaillancourt says long term, it’s the best solution. He says some groups were consulted and chose natural grass over AstroTurf so residents have to be patient.
In the meantime Vaillancourt is working on alternatives and is open to booking teams on other local fields.
