Slo-Pitch City in Just the Right Place

(Aired on May 18, 2010)

The city is letting contracts today for the start of work on the new Slo-Pitch City in Rayleigh. While there are still those who think the location is too far out of town, I think it probably is in the right place, considering the amount of land available. In some ways, I would have preferred it to be closer to McArthur Island, where you could quickly drive from one venue to another and be more accessible. But for the most part, tournaments will be held at one location or another, and there probably wouldn't be too many occasions where the location would be an issue.

Some have expressed concern that the new venue is too far away from hotels and that people would have to drive longer distances after consuming alcohol at a beer garden after a game. But when you get right down to it, it's not a very long drive to hotels when you come down the highway, and you wouldn't travel any longer than you would if you were in Kelowna, and certainly no farther than you would if you were in Vancouver. If we're going to do the project right, we have to have a large enough land space to put up the proper fields and ancillary facilities. Otherwise, you won't attract the big championship events. And as the city grows, it will grow up around the facility.

Initially, it may seem like it's out in no man's land, but I remember many years ago, when the Milobar family built the Place Inn in Aberdeen. At that time, there was very little development around it. People said it was too far out of town. Didn't take long to dispel that rumour. And the same will hold true with Slo-Pitch City. I think it's a facility that will set the bar at a new level, the same as McArthur Island did when it was first developed. Just another step forward as we ensconce ourselves as the Tournament Capital.