Aging River East track getting a facelift

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This article was published 22/02/2022 (1373 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A spirit of renewal has been coming to Winnipeg running tracks since 2019.

On Tuesday, there was news of another reburbishment with the announcement of a planned upgrade to the 400-metre track adjacent to River East Collegiate. The project will involve an $850,000 facelift to replace the aging and cracked asphalt surface with a modern, rubberized one.

The upgrade, which is expected to be completed this summer, will be the fourth such surface in Winnipeg. Other local rubberized tracks include the University of Manitoba, Victor Mager School in St. Vital and Garden City Collegiate.

The last two on the list were completed in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

River East principal Sandy Dzuba was enthusiastic about the proposal. She said it got the stamp of approval from the school’s track and field coach, Danielle Fontiane.

“She’s very excited,” said Dzuba. “We have a very large track program here and the opportunity to have a track to train on and to compete on was very exciting for her…

“Through the course of the year, she would have well over 100 students that are participating. She has a really large cross-country team and then she runs a full indoor track (program) all year and then we move into outdoor track.”

Tuesday’s announcement was made jointly by Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital), Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) and the River East Transcona School Division.

It was a co-operative effort, with Browaty providing $305,000 in funding, Chambers adding $250,000 and Mayes came through with $295,000.

“It was good public policy and good politics I think,” said Mayes. “We’ve done St. Vital, which I really wanted to do and then it occurred to me well, I don’t have to stop there. What else could we do in the city? So at the start of COVID I started touring around all the tracks and we got lucky because Seven Oaks was already rebuilding the one in Garden City… I guess it’s just seeing what money you can pull together and what school divisions want to cooperate.”

Browaty added in a release: “As a graduate of River East Collegiate myself, I am delighted to bring this track back to life for this community. When Councillor Mayes checked out all of the Winnipeg tracks in 2020, I noticed the sad state of River East’s track.”

The improved venue should be a boon for high school, middle school and elementary school athletes while also serving as a public place for walkers and runners of all ages.

“This is pretty good value for money,” said Mayes, an avid runner himself. “I think you probably only need to do one more in the city after this. You need to do something in the west. We don’t need a rubberized track at every school but other cities have multiple tracks and we’re now catching up. You can’t use them all year round, but they’re cheap to maintain but the public can use them.”

A similar project at Canadian Mennonite University, with St. Paul’s High School and Shaftesbury Collegiate with walking distance, is currently under discussion.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14