SHS gets home field advantage

School NEWS

SHS gets HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

From left:Selwyn House CFO Matilde Codina signs the contract for the WAG renovation with Alain Langlois of Lanco Construction,Selwyn House Athletic Director Mike Maurovich and Headmaster Hal Hannaford.

Selwyn House will soon have its own home field for soccer, football, rugby and baseball, thanks to a publicprivate agreement between the school and the City of Westmount.

Immediately after La Fête nationale, workers broke ground on a $700,000 project to fully renovate the Westmount Athletic Grounds, located behind Westmount High School on Ste. Catherine Street.

Selwyn House has used the location for field sports for nearly a century, but the site was in dire need of restoration. Selwyn House will pay for the renovations and subsequent maintenance through private donations to the school. Use of the facility will be shared between Selwyn House and Westmount High, as well as by the City of Westmount for municipal recreation.

The arrengement is “a classic example of a win-win-win situation,” says Selwyn House Headmaster Hal Hannaford.

The renovated site will include a new soccer pitch with natural grass, sprinkler and drainage systems, a resurfaced racing track, new spectator stands, a new baseball diamond, a storage cabana and an electronic scoreboard that will read: “Home of the Gryphons”.

“Everyone’s happy,” Westmount Director General Duncan Campbell told The Suburban newspaper. “This project won’t cost the city a cent, and everybody’s going to get a chance to play on what will soon be one of the best playing fields in the city.”

“In a time of severe budget constraints, this is indeed welcome news,” said Cynthia Lulham, Westmount councillor responsible for the WAG area.

The grounds should be ready for use this fall. ■