Scraping under way, but more help needed for soccer pitches - Carman Valley Leader

By Heather Baril & Gene Still
Friday May 26, 2006

Carman Valley Leader — Seeding is scheduled for this summer, but the ‘under-construction” soccer pitches west of Carman won’t be playable this year.
Tara Brennan, Carman-Dufferin Recreation Commission general manager said work is under way on levelling the land.
“We’ve hired a couple of people to put in some time with their scrapers and start to work on levelling out the ground and getting it set up to grade,” Brennan said. “We’ve ordered the grass seed and have it in storage right now, so as soon as the time comes when we can put it in, we’ll be raring to go.”
As well as planting the grass seed, Brennan said planting trees and shrubs to establish a wind break is also part of the upcoming plans for the pitches.
However, CDRC member Dennis Young who is helping co-ordinate the construction of the pitches, said they are behind schedule.
Young said part of that reason is good news for local producers but not so great for the CDRC.
He said a lot of the help they’re receiving with driving the heavy equipment to prepare the land is donated in most instances, by area farmers.
But since this spring has been – as of press time – one of the most favourable for seeding in recent memory, they’re having a hard time getting volunteers out to help drive the machines.
“We’ve fallen behind and we need some help,” Young said. “Anybody who is willing to spend the time should call me (745-8811).”
Despite the setbacks, he said they will continue to work towards getting the fields ready as soon as possible. But he added they “must have” the two full-size and one mini-size pitch ready at the very least by the fall of 2007 in time for the following year’s PowerSmart Summer Games to be hosted by Carman.