West Vancouver Place for Sport

Place for Sport is a partnership between the District of West Vancouver (the District) and West Vancouver Schools (WVS) to replace the existing deteriorating track and poorly draining grass field at West Vancouver Secondary School (WVSS) with a new track and lit artificial turf field. 

The project includes: 

• replacement of the existing track at WVSS with a six-lane, state-of-the-art track, with a synthetic surface designed for the best shock absorption and traction
• an artificial turf field with sport field lighting
• long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault, and shotput, with training areas for discus, hammer, and javelin
• renovated washrooms at WVSS accessible outside of school hours to accommodate the facility

• All construction will take place on location at WVSS, and all staging of equipment, materials, and machinery, will be stored on-site at WVSS. 
• There will be temporary, no parking or public vehicle access on 17th Street, between Inglewood Avenue and Kings Avenue, 24 hours a day/seven days a week. 
• There will be a temporary closure of the large paved parking lot, located north of the Inglewood Learning Centre, south of the track during hours of construction (the lot will be open outside of work hours). 
•  There will be no vehicle access from Kings Avenue to 17th Street 
• There will be no pedestrian access on the west side of WVSS, between Inglewood and Mathers Avenues. 
• The District will temporarily suspend resident-only parking restrictions on the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Mathers Avenue, to accommodate student parking during school hours and patron parking for Kay Meek Centre events.

• Heavy trucks will come off Highway 1, south on Taylor Way, west along Marine Drive, north on 17th Street, and east on Inglewood Avenue to WVSS. 
• Heavy trucks will exit WVSS heading east on Inglewood Avenue and north on 15th Street to Highway 1. Road closures are expected on 15th Street in Spring 2024 for BC Hydro road restoration work, during which time trucks may temporarily use an alternate route and access Highway 1 via Taylor Way.
• There will be flaggers on-site directing traffic during construction hours.

Work will take place Monday to Friday, between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Saturdays, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

For events outside of construction hours, parking will be available in the WVSS staff parking lot, accessed from Mathers Avenue, west of WVSS, in the Inglewood Learning Centre parking lots, accessed from Inglewood Avenue and 17th Street, and on both sides of Mathers Avenue, between 15th Street and Mathers Court. All efforts will be made to provide as much parking as possible.

• The project is on land owned by the WVS and the District is the primary funder for the project. 
• WVS and the District have entered into a Joint Use Agreement to establish the roles and responsibilities for each party.

• The District will allocate the rental fees to the District’s PFS Amenities Funds (artificial turf or track) to fund the future replacement of the artificial turf. 
• WVS contributes $50,000 annually (reviewed every 5 years), to the PFS Amenities Track Fund for future replacement of the track. Any rental fees collected by WVS for the track will be allocated to the PFS Amenities Fund (artificial turf or track). 
• Replacement of the Joint Use Facilities
  •  i. The District will be responsible for the replacement of the artificial turf. 
  • ii. WVS will be responsible for the replacement of the track.

Yes, the Place for Sport facility, including the track, field and training areas will be used by community sport organizations outside of school hours. 

The facility will be open daily until 10 p.m. It will have the same operating hours as the Ambleside artificial turf field. 

When not in use by local sport organizations, the track may be used by the community for walking, training, and exercise, as it has been utilized in the past.

The lights will be on when the field is in use.

A traffic study showed that the current parking on site is sufficient to accommodate the Place for Sport facility and its anticipated use. 

Any parking that is temporarily unavailable during construction will be available once the facility is complete and open to the public.

Site preparation began in late November 2023.

Project completion is scheduled for February 2025.

The 2011 District of West Vancouver Sport Field Master Plan recommends the need for an additional artificial field in the community. Combining a new track with an artificial turf infield would support the needs of school students, community track and field clubs, community field sports groups and the greater community recreation needs.

In 2014–2015, the school district and the municipality consulted the community and stakeholders to develop a project scope and study project impacts.

The campaign to raise funds for this project was launched in 2015 by a small group of private citizens starting with a generous donation of $100,000 from the West Vancouver Football (Soccer) Club. Early donations from West Vancouver Schools, West Vancouver Council and the West Vancouver Foundation began a fundraising campaign that has been supported across the community. The donor list today includes almost every public and independent school, numerous community organizations, and a growing number of families and individual citizens.

Although the facility is located on school district land, the Ministry of Education does not provide funding for sports fields. This project has been made possible with funds from the Growing Communities Fund, generously provided by the BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs, funding committed by West Vancouver Council, West Vancouver Schools, fundraising and private donations. 

In February 2021, West Vancouver Schools, in partnership with the District of West Vancouver, announced that the running track will be named the Harry Jerome Oval, in honour of one of Canada’s most celebrated athletes. A video of the official naming announcement for the Harry Jerome Oval is available below.