The Rainbow District School Board could bring more than $1 million to the table for a proposed soccer turf at Lasalle Secondary School, according to emails from the City of Greater Sudbury's director of leisure services.
In an email obtained through a freedom of information request, and forwarded to Sudbury.com, Tyler Campbell, the city's director of leisure services, proposes to Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer he should explore the idea of a turf soccer field at Lasalle Secondary with the Rainbow District School Board.
The school board “has over 1 Million available to bring to the table,” Campbell said in his email to Sizer, which was sent on July 28, 2016.
The email was one of 29 records sent to Sudbury.com by Chantelle Gorham, a Sudbury parent concerned about potential school closures, after obtaining them through a freedom of information (FOI) request.
In addition to his role as the city's director of leisure services, Campbell is also a trustee with the Rainbow District School Board.
The 29 records obtained through the FOI contain emails and documents about a proposed athletic dome (which could be located at Lasalle Secondary School) and proposed sports fields near Countryside Arena spanning the period of April 12, 2016 to Sept. 23, 2016.
The Rainbow District School Board said Campbell has declared a conflict of interest on the topic of a potential athletic dome, and has removed himself from all school board conversations on the issue. His emails on the topic are through his role as a city employee, not as a trustee.
But in a second email to Sizer on Aug. 5, 2016, Campbell said he had spoken with Norm Blaseg, the Rainbow District School Board's director of education, about a potential soccer turf at Lasalle Secondary School.
“He (Blaseg) has indicated that he is interested and they have already done some geo tech work on site at Lasalle SS,” Campbell wrote in the email. “He (Blaseg) did confirm that around a million has been set aside for the turf component that they want to put in.”
In late October, Blaseg told Sudbury.com the school board had not discussed any financial commitments for a potential athletic dome at Lasalle Secondary School.
“Have we made any commitments? Absolutely not,” he said at the time.
When asked about Campbell's emails to Sizer, Blaseg said they referred to a proposed turf field, which was different from the plans for a potential sports dome.
On Nov. 24, 2016, the Rainbow District School Board's staff submitted a final accommodation review report that recommended consolidating eight elementary schools building two new elementary schools, and revitalizing one elementary school and three secondary schools.
Staff said the recommendations would reduce operating expenses by $2.2 million annually, and would eliminate 1,483 surplus spaces and $31.9 million in capital renewal costs.
The school board would be able to balance its budget without drawing on reserves by 2019-2020.
In a briefing note prepared on Sept. 14, 2016, and later revised on Sept. 22, Campbell said the cost of a “soccer bubble” has been estimated in the $3 million range.
In the note, Campbell said Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault has indicated the provincial government could cover up to half that cost through grants.
