Editor:
I’ve been very fortunate to live adjacent to Confederation Park for 25 years. It is, apparently, Burnaby’s oldest park, and it has a great charm to it. It’s a park that has always felt inviting and welcoming to one and all, in a lovely rustic way.
I have spent many hours walking, playing bocci, sitting on a bench and taking in the sounds of people enjoying themselves, watching teams of youngsters playing football and hearing the occasional hoot from the lacrosse court. I’ve also been very grateful for the care and attention put into the maintenance and development of the park (clearing new areas for picnickers and so on), making it such a lovely space to live near.
Recently I watched curiously as they tore down the old lacrosse court, wondering what was to be built in its place. Then the excavation and the info board with the artist's impression of the new addition of an enclosed sports box. It seemed kind of large but I thought perhaps it would be just fine and a place for folks to play ball hockey and lacrosse.
However, now that the construction has revealed its actual size (it really is huge) it appears to dominate the surrounding park, thus changing forever the very charm of it.
At this point it’s a done deal. I do hope I am wrong and it turns out to be OK, but every-time I look out on it my heart sinks a little. I am not in opposition to such a thing as a sports box, or putting resources into building one, it’s just the place that was chosen to put it seems entirely wrong.
I must, I suppose, let go of what was and accept what is, however I do feel, at this point it was a big mistake.
Peter MacLachlan
