In Thursday night's community meeting addressing plans for a new sports facility at Central Tech High School, Mayor Rob Ford pledged his support for the school's 6 million dollar sports complex. Mayor Ford and Trinity-Spadina Councillor Adam Vaughan butted heads over the year-round athletic facility at the corner of Bathurst and Harbord Street. While Mayor Ford supports the project, Councillor Vaughan has expressed concerns over increased traffic and congestion and believes the proposed insulated dome will ruin the character of the neighbourhood. The mayor says the field needs a major upgrade. "I've personally played on the field," Mayor Ford said at the public meeting. "I've coached kids on it, that field is not safe." "It's already a highly congested area," Councillor Vaughan responded, and is asking to declare the property a heritage site.
The new project is part of the Toronto District School Board's (TDSB) plans to improve school fields in poor conditions which will include a revitalization plan with an insulated dome, outdoor lighting, an Olympic-sized track and upgrades to the change rooms. The plan would also clean-up the recently discovered contaminated soil and toxic mess found on the school field. Despite concerns, plans for the project will be moving forward in the coming months. On another note, a Curbed reader spotted what appeared to be Mayor Ford's black Cadillac Escalade parked illegally in front of one of the school's exits.
· Central Tech's Dome Doomed by Contaminated Soil [Curbed Toronto]
· Central Tech Stadium [Central Tech]
· Debate Over the Central Tech Field [Global]