Keith Balcaen’s the type of guy who calls a spade, well, a spade.He tells it how he feels.
Therefore the Coldstream Ranch land owner is fed up with how the potential sale of his property for a proposed sports complex has gotten out of hand.
“People have not got the facts straight on the intent and what it’s for,” said Balcaen.
Earlier this summer Balcaen agreed to a request from Greater Vernon Services to sell 118 acres of agricultural land, known as the Spicer Block, to GVS for parks. The land is proposed to be used for a sports complex, but will first go to a Coldstream referendum for voters to decide if they approve forwarding an application to the Agricultural Land Commission for non-farm use on the property.
“I thought it would be a real asset to the community and it’s become a mockery,” said Balcaen, frustrated with how the proposal is being perceived by some.
The sports complex proposal includes a variety of sports fields on upwards of 80 acres.
“I think for our children down the road it’ll be the nicest thing,” said Balcaen.
But some people don’t see children benefitting from the project.
Al McNiven, Greater Vernon Services parks and recreation administrator, says: “I think the message is coming across that this would be purely an adult site and that is not correct.”
He points out the usage of the various fields in the proposal. The track would be used mostly by school track and field athletes, the football field would allow minor football (made up strictly of children) a space to practice and hold hometown games on, the baseball fields are strictly for children while slo-pitch fields are for adults and the soccer fields make up a mix of adult and children users.
The whole park, adds Balcaen, is for family use.
“Isn’t a park a family thing?”
Concerns have also been raised that the site will be used to host major sport-related festivals, such as Funtastic.
Funtastic is involved in the application – it had input into the concept drawings and it has joined the Greater Vernon Outdoor Sports User Group with a commitment for the project of $1 million.
Funtastic has said it has no intention of holding its annual music festival at the sports complex, as it intends to continue hosting the event at the DND grounds.
A continuing lease at DND is uncertain by both Funtastic and GVS because of a year-to-year lease. That is also part of the rationale behind the need for the proposed sports complex.
But Terri Jones, a member of the Greater Vernon Advocates Committee which is against the proposal, refutes this argument. As a former MP executive assistant, Jones worked with DND on land use requests. Using her contacts she confirmed with DND that it has no intention of cancelling its field leases to GVS.
That’s good news for Funtastic, said McNiven, because it can continue to host its event at DND. But he is not as equally confident.
“The government of today might say no, the government of tomorrow, who knows?”
Other community concerns have been raised that if this project does not go ahead it could be turned into housing.
As owner of the ranch lands, Balcaen says these are just speculation and he has no intent on putting a subdivision on the land.
“I’m not after that. I’m not a developer.”
He re-iterates the fact that he is selling this property to become what it is set to become – a sports complex.
And in his words “an asset to the community.”
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