The Andrée Vajda Janyk Sports Field is now fully open for play. Access gates, a drinking fountain and player shelters will be installed while landscaping work surrounding the field is completed this summer.
The new field is a multi-use, illuminated artificial turf sports field located in Bayly Park at Cheakamus Crossing. At 70 metres by 110 metres in size and illuminated at night, the field provides an improved outdoor playing surface in Whistler. The field also helps meet the community’s high demand for sport fields now and into the future.
Named in honour of Andrée Janyk
In October 2018, Whistler Council voted unanimously to name the new sports field in honour of celebrated community member and late councilor Andrée Janyk.
Among Andrée's long list of legacies, she was instrumental in growing youth soccer in Whistler.
Field rules and operations
- Permitted sports: The field is open for soccer, football, rugby, ultimate Frisbee and field hockey. All other uses are prohibited.
- Hours of operation: The field will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- No dogs: To protect the surface, dogs are strictly not allowed on the field.
- Parking: The RMOW will monitor the Bayly Park parking lot accessed off of Legacy Way and consider an expansion or other adjustments later in 2019 as required. The RMOW is also monitoring other Bayly Park and Cheakamus Crossing parking issues.
- Snow removal: The RMOW will not remove snow from the field unless under exceptional circumstances. Snow removal has the potential to damage the turf surface and invalidate the turf’s warranty, as well as disperse the infill product below necessary safety levels. Under no circumstances are users (Clubs, Associations, general public, etc.) permitted to snow clear any portion of the field.
- Lighting: The sports field will be illuminated with LED fixtures. Shields mounted onto the fixtures will direct light to the sports field surface, reducing glare and light pollution to the surrounding neighbourhood. The light levels are anticipated to be approximately one third of the light levels of one ball diamond at Spruce Grove Park. Reservations are required to use the lights.
Draft Facility Operational Guidelines (February 2019) have also been developed to guide the above, along with facility specifications, rental priorities and lighting details.
Rental Fees and Reservations
The field will need to be reserved to be used, including by athletes for casual training.
When not reserved, the field is available to the general public for casual, non-exclusive use for permitted activities. Reservations will be posted on the site, and the public will be expected to leave the field at commencement of a reservation
To make a reservation, contact the Outdoor Facility Booking Coordinator at outdoorfacilities@whistler.ca.
Materials
The infill material for the sports field is a mix of Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) and sand, rather than the commonly used infill type crumb rubber.
A food safe material, TPE combines thermoplastics with an elastomeric component for soft, flexible products. It is commonly used in the medical industry as well as in household items such as grips on pens, toothbrushes, toddler sippy cups and phone cases. It has proven successful in artificial turf fields located elsewhere in British Columbia.
At the end of its useful lifespan the turf will be shipped to a turf recycling facility currently under construction in California, if options to repurpose the turf prove unsuccessful.
Turf fibres can be separated from the backing material, and each material can be processed into small pellets or beads, which are then incorporated into other manufacturing products like plastic lumber and household products.
The field also includes a shock pad which provides improved impact absorption and drainage. The shock pad is located directly below the turf surface, is made from foam waste and can be used in the replacement field. At the end of its useful lifespan the shock pad can be recycled in current recycling streams.
Background
The roots of the project originated in 2008 with community discussion about a potential field during the development of the Bayly Park Master Plan.
The need for this amenity was further explored in 2015 during the extensive community engagement for the Recreation and Leisure Master Plan.
The need for an artificial turf field was discussed at length by the Recreation and Leisure Advisory Committee with direction provided by Council.
In response to community discussion and the Recreation and Leisure Master Plan, the RMOW began investigations into an artificial turf field in 2015.
An indoor multi-purpose field-based recreation facility was considered, but due to high capital and operating costs, the focus of the project turned to a simpler and less costly outdoor artificial turf field.
In 2016 a needs assessment and multi-use recreation facility investigation was undertaken and presented to council. View the Committee of the Whole Presentation on December 1, 2016 and the Committee of the Whole Presentation on December 6, 2016.
Following council’s direction to proceed, staff advanced various aspects of the project, with an update to council provided in March 2017. View the Council Presentation and Council Report No. 17-017.
A careful review of potential sites was undertaken and Bayly Park was chosen as the preferred site in November 2017. Council voted to move the project into the design and construction phase. View the Council Presentation and Council Report No. 17-125.
The project was tendered in May 2018. The results were presented to Council at their June 5, 2018 meeting. View the Council Presentation and Council Report No. 18-068
Construction began in July 2018, and the field opened to the public in May 2019.
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