Increase To Junior & Senior Lacrosse Fees

Photo Credit Sportswave

Regardless of what sport you are involved in or even where you live questions continue to arise about the conditions or the facility, its make-up or the cost.

We are hearing that the up grade would not have been completed without the tireless work of the volunteers of all ages which was greatly appreciated.

We recently received the letter below and we were asked to share it with the lacrosse community.

Your thoughts are welcome:

Dear Mayor Harvie and Council Members,

I am writing to express my concerns regarding the plan to increase user fees for the Ladner Outdoor MultiSport Court by 100% for Minor lacrosse (under 18) and 262% for Junior and Senior lacrosse (18+).

As a lifelong member of the Delta lacrosse community and one of the people who spearheaded the first renovation of the Ladner Outdoor Lacrosse Box, I find this decision troubling.  

In 2004 the Delta lacrosse community took on an extensive 5-month long volunteer project contributing volunteer hours and in-kind donations (road base gravel, rebar, concrete pump truck, concrete finishers, plywood and paint) amounting to over $250,000 to renovate the outdoor box. 

The City of Delta provided 50% of the cost of concrete in the amount of $25,000 during this renovation.  The result was one of the best lacrosse boxes in the Lower Mainland at the time, and the pride and joy of the Delta lacrosse community.

We as a community are extremely grateful for the grant money provided by Delta and the Province of BC which allowed for the Ladner Outdoor Box to be covered.  

This has allowed lacrosse groups plus many other user groups in the community the opportunity to be active outside year-round and still be dry.  

We understand that with the further betterment of the box and the resulting popularity of it, Delta is able to charge more. 

However, as original stakeholders of the outdoor box, the Delta lacrosse community has shown dedication and commitment to the upkeep and improvement of the facility, and it is disheartening to see such a substantial increase in user fees despite these efforts. 

This decision will surely have a negative impact on the affordability and therefore accessibility of the facility for the Delta Lacrosse Associations: Delta Minor Lacrosse, Delta Junior Islanders, Ladner Pioneers Lacrosse Club – Sr. B, Sr. C, and Masters.

At the April 8, 2024 council meeting, I urge you to withdraw the current fee increase and to take into account the valuable contributions and support provided by the Delta lacrosse community over the years. 

I respectfully ask that the City of Delta accept the Delta lacrosse community’s reasonable proposal of a 25% increase in user fees for the Ladner Outdoor Box for the Delta Lacrosse Associations listed above, the ‘builders’ of the Ladner Outdoor ‘Lacrosse’ Box.

Attached, you can find images of the 2004 box renovation volunteer project as well as winter and spring contracts reflecting the rate changes.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope that you will take our concerns into consideration and work towards a solution that is beneficial for all users involved.

Sincerely,

Darcy Phillips