THUNDER BAY— Community members across the city have started a petition for longer hours at the Legioin Track.
The municipal arena should be easily accessible to all community members, said Antonio Redfern Pucci, the founder of the petition.
“Anyone reasonably using the facility and not causing any kind of harm should be able to access the track at any point,” he said.
In previous years, Redfern Pucci stated that the track was more accessible.
“Probably a decade plus ago… there used to be, beforehand, a pedestrian access through the tennis courts that were back there. When they resurfaced it, the job was great. They put in the artificial turf, which was fantastic, but then the access got very much controlled,” he said.
Currently, the track is open from Monday to Thursday between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Fridays from 8 to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 to 12 p.m.
The petition, which had more than 300 signatures as of the afternoon of Aug. 28, says extended hours are needed for residents who work typical day jobs.
“After being around to a bunch of different tracks for work and for training, I just felt that …the track hours are not really conducive for anyone except for people in very exceptional circumstances,” he said.
“Track and running and jogging and walking and just being fit should be accessible to everyone, especially on a publicly-funded track.”
Opening the track to match public park hours would benefit all community members, he said.
“Just like any other city park (maybe) there is some posted hours and if you're caught using the (arena) they can deal with it as they would any other park,” he said
The addition of walking trails would also make the track more accessible, he said.
“My big ask would be to restore some kind of pedestrian access,” he said. “We don't really need supervision here; It's like any other park.”
The Legion Track has had the same hours for the last 15 years, said Paul Burke, sport and community development supervisor for the City of Thunder Bay.
With limited changes since the pandemic, Burke said the complaints are a first.
“We've just learned of the concerns in the last few days. We do have plans to meet with the group who can give us some feedback on that,” he said.
Meeting the group will allow for positive discussion on community needs at the arena, Burke said.
“We look forward to that meeting and hopefully there’s some wholesome discussions and we hear all their concerns,” he said.
Currently, the 2025 track season has already been extended, Burke said.
“Typically, the track would not be available for public use after the end of August. We have decided, looking at the schedule, that this year we can extended on weekdays until Sept. 24,” he said.
Extending the track hours will have some complications, Burke said.
“It will depend year to year on what rentals and such are in the facility,” he said. “So, if a football group, as an example, has the facility rented and they're paying for it, they have exclusive use of that facility, so we couldn't allow the public in.”
After meeting with Redfern Pucci and other concerned community members, city officials will determine if track hours are to be extended, Burke said.
“First, we want to listen to what the folks have to say, and we'll take those back and we'll see what we can do,” Burke said.
“This facility is amazing, so it's great that people want to use it, and it is the community's facility for sure.”
