Council weighs soccer pitch for rodeo trailer parking

By Ian MacKay

ROSETOWN – Town councillors aim to accommodate the request for more space near the riding arena to park horse trailers.

They discussed removing part of the fence around the unused soccer pitch southeast of the riding arena and removing its sprinkler heads to potentially open it for trailers during their last meeting on May 19.

From pitch to parking. Dandelions blanket the soccer field (foreground) that has been proposed as a horse trailer parking area for events at the riding arena (behind) on the sports grounds. PHOTO BY IAN MACKAY

Staff suggested the area south and west of the riding arena for trailers, moving the warm-up area for horses from there to the soccer pitch, "as long as they cleaned up afterwards," said Amanda Bors, then the town's acting chief administrator.

Workers could also remove a row of trees that surrounds the outfield of the nearest ball diamond to give more trailer space, Bors said.

"That soccer pitch hasn't been used for 10 years or more," Jan Coffey-Olson said. "I know we put money into it to make a soccer pitch, but there's no soccer now. What are we saving it for?"

The town spent about $40,000 to irrigate the pitch, but "200 trailers coming to town for a rodeo" would likely provide a matching economic benefit to the town "in one year," recreation director Kelli Emmons said.

The Rosetown Riding Club is "really strong" and had raised money to buy a tractor to use in grooming the arena surface, Emmons said.

Staff should be able to remove and store the sprinkler heads and fencing in case there's a revival of local soccer interest, Mayor Trevor Hay said. An event like a rodeo "would be beneficial," Hay agreed.

"I think we can probably look at some solutions," he said, asking Emmons to check on whether the sprinkler heads and fence can be removed and stored.

Trent Aylward had spoken at the May 4 council meeting, advising members that the area around the arena lacked enough space to accommodate events much larger than the regional barrel races that have occurred there in the past few years.

Aylward admitted he wants to attract a rodeo, telling councillors it would bring a significant economic benefit to the town.

He suggested using the soccer pitch that was used for only about one season, estimating that about 50 horse trailers could park there and that there's room for about 70 elsewhere around the riding arena.

The town installed piping and underground sprinklers for the pitch, winning a grant for that purpose, staff reminded those at the May 4 meeting.

Councillors also approved blocking off a section of Main Street and a half block of Second Avenue East during the late afternoon of June 19 to accommodate the Dusty Wheels Auto Club's Road Kill Cruise and, after some discussion, declined to contribute towards the operating costs of the Delisle arena.

"Our financial support" goes toward the local AGT Centre, Hay explained.