Dalhousie cuts funds to mow popular soccer field

Some parents in the northern community of Dalhousie are complainingabout the town's refusal to cut the grass used by children playing soccer on a well-used field.

The town has faced tough economic times in recent years as Dalhousie's largest employers have closed and many young people have abandoned the region to find work elsewhere.

The shrinking tax base has caused the town to make some tough financial decisions, including cutting funds for mowing the grass at a popular soccer field.

Every Wednesday night, nearly 100 children come to the field to play soccer.

But as the numbers of children playing soccer continues to grow, so does the grass.

Shelley MacPhee has spent the summer writing letters and showing up at council, trying to get the grass on the pitch cut.

"I believe it was a short-sighted decision," she said.

"First of all, I don't believe the cost of mowing the field is so high, and I could even tell them, don't consider it a cost, don't consider it an expense, consider it an investment in the future of the town of Dalhousie and its future residents."

The tall grass isn't just a political irritant, it is also a safety concern, according to Stephanie Bujold, who is coaching the young players.

"You can't dribble the ball, you can't run in long grass," she said.

The concerns of the family members and coaches do resonate with Dalhousie Mayor Clem Tremblay.

But he said the town has had a difficult time in recent years.

"It changed over the last seven years. Since we lost the Bowater, the oil and chemical plant, and just recently the Dalhousie thermal plant," he said.

"So yes, the financial situation of the Town of Dalhousie has changed dramatically."

The field used by the local soccer club belongs to the neighbouring school, which is part of the Anglophone North School District.

Tremblay said the town had been mowing the field for the last 25 years as a "good citizen gesture."

"But when we sit down and talk about not cutting and maintaining fields or property that doesn't belong to the town, we said we're not going to maintain it anymore," he said.

Dalhousie did mow the lawn twice and sent the bill the minor soccer association, a volunteer-run organization without funds to buy a mower of its own.

The soccer season is over for this year, but parents are still hopeful the town will resume field maintenance in 2016.

The mayor said it's possible, but he won't know whether that's a possibility until next year's budget comes up for debate.