By Sandra Thomas - Staff writer
December 2, 2001
Opponents of sand volleyball courts at Jericho Beach Park outnumbered determined beach volleyball players as the two sides squared off this week over the future of the park.
Almost 250 people jammed a public hearing Wednesday night to air their views on building a permanent 12-court sand volleyball facility, roughly three-quarters the size of a soccer field, near the old concrete wharf just east of the Jericho Sailing Centre. The large number of speakers forced the board, which is not expected to vote on the issue until Jan. 14, to extend the meeting to Thursday night.
Colin Metcalfe, president of the Vancouver Field Sports Federation, generated a barrage of boos and catcalls when he told board members that beach volleyball is "under attack." The heckling grew in volume as he compared opponents of the volleyball facility to a "hyperbolic neighbourhood of nattering, nabob NIMBYs," prompting chairwoman Laura McDiarmid to appeal to the crowd to show respect for the speakers.
Metcalfe accused the board of dropping the ball on playing fields and recreation areas in the city, saying the proposal is a way to begin making amends.
Jeff Malmgre, co-ordinator of the Vancouver Ultimate [Frisbee] League, supports the volleyball players, and accused local residents of NIMBYism. Malmgre said the area earmarked for the permanent volleyball courts represents only 1.1 per cent of the park, which he says is under-utilized. "NIMBY is an ugly word. But I'm not sure what else we can call it. The park is meant to serve a lot of people, not just the ones who live on the West Side."
He added beach volleyball is "huge" in Vancouver and the culture is conducive to the health conscious spirit of the city.
"It's a fact kids who play organized sports get into less crime," he said. "There aren't many smokers in the group and they're pretty much all healthy citizens. We should be encouraging that."
West Side residents who spoke out against the proposal listed a number of concerns, including fears of an influx of bleachers, fences to keep dogs out, commercial sponsorship and signage. They also complained about the impact of the facility on a parking crunch in the area, and expressed concern about the effects of "canned music" and other noise on local wild and bird life, including a solo eagle that's been roosting in the area for years, and a pair of eagles nesting for the first time.
"My name is Mark Weintraub. I do not represent any orgnization. I am a long time Vancouver resident. I swim in Kits pool, roller blade and bike along our seawalls. I support active sports in our parks system but I oppose the location of a permanent volleyball infrastructure in the middle of one of our most precious city assets. I am also here to speak out against a process which I do not think is responsive to the clear needs of an overwhelming majority of park users. This site is located on ancient Native land and is the home to over 100 species of birds. One of the thrilling parts of this park is that when you look south from the walkway and see the beautiful treed backdrop, the forest area and expanse of grass, you cannot but help get a feeling of a time long gone."
David Cadman, executive director of the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation, said he supports organized sports in the city, especially beach volleyball, since his niece plays at the Olympic level, but disagrees with the proposed location.
"There's already 31 courts along the beach," he said. "This is the wrong place."
Daphne Solecki pointed out the park was originally created after neighbours rallied together to oppose a huge housing development on the then-Department of National Defence land. Twenty thousand signatures were eventually gathered in support of creating Jericho Beach Park, said Solecki, who held up minutes from the Feb. 16, 1981 parks board meeting, including a motion that: "The Vancouver parks board commit itself to preventing active recreation activities from impinging upon the natural passive areas of Jericho Park."
Eight years later, the board spent $30,000 enhancing a pond on the site and $56,500 restoring and landscaping the concrete area south of the wharf-the same area proposed for the volleyball courts.
"I believe the commissioners would be breaking their faith with all the people who gave so much of their time to create this beautiful park, with those who continue to work to improve the park, planting trees and shrubs and removing invasive plant species and those who daily enjoy the natural beauty of the park and the abundant bird life, if they were to allow these courts to be built," she said.
