In a show of continued support for community growth, Ribfest made a $65,000 donation to Esquimalt High School on Thursday afternoon.
This donation is part of the festival’s longstanding commitment to the Esquimalt High School community field collaboration, raising over $550,000 to benefit the field over the past 11 years.
The funds will be directed towards the project, which has a vision to provide Esquimalt with an all-weather playing field.
This plan is particularly significant because, as it stands, Esquimalt is the only core municipality in the region without an all-weather playing surface or turf field.
The project’s three-phase plan includes key developments: a synthetic, all-weather turf field designed for outdoor team sports, complete with state-of-the-art directional LED lighting; a community-based, multi-purpose field house that will feature workout areas, change rooms, and space for spectators; and a neighbourhood track/chip trail surface that will be perfect for walking and jogging.
Ribfest chair Tom Woods expressed his enthusiasm for the project, which aligns closely with the values of the Ribfest community.
"This is a part of our annual donation from the Esquimalt firefighters, through Ribfest," said Woods. "About 30 per cent of the kids that participate in Gorge Soccer are from Esquimalt, and those kids get moved out of the community when the fields get wet from rain."
The field’s projected cost is between $4 and $6 million, and Woods highlighted that they are actively working with government representatives to secure additional funding for the project.
“The township has been so supportive of this project, and we are working closely with them to make sure this benefits all of the parties involved."
Although the exact timeline for construction remains uncertain due to the agreement between the school district and the township, Woods is hopeful that the project will break ground within the next year.
"We are hoping that shovels will be in the ground within the year," said Woods.
The Gorge Soccer Association, which has been a key advocate for the project, will also be making a significant contribution towards the development of the field.
Brad Hlasny, the manager of Gorge Soccer, emphasized the critical need for such a facility in the community.
"This field would pay huge dividends for soccer, rugby, and everyone else in our community," said Hlasny. "This new field would be a perfect marriage of sorts, with daytime usage for the schools and nighttime usage for community clubs like us."
The scarcity of available field time has also been a limiting factor for many kids wanting to participate in sports, as Hlasny explained.
"The sparse field time and access to fields is a major limiting factor for kids looking to get into our sport," he said. "We have roughly 100 kids on the wait list at the start of the season, and a new field would help more kids get the chance to be active and enjoy this sport."
Esquimalt Mayor Barbara Desjardins praised Ribfest for its consistent support and highlighted the positive impact the project would have on the entire community.
"Every dollar counts, and Ribfest continues to bring it, year after year," said Desjardins. "The more dollars that are gathered via great partners like them, the quicker we’re able to get this field to come to fruition."
She also spoke about the broader economic and community benefits that both Ribfest and the new field would bring to Esquimalt.
"They are both economic booms," said Desjardins. "Every time we have an event within the community, we have people coming from region-wide to celebrate our community. The addition of this field would be a huge win for the people of Esquimalt."
