Why is athletic field still closed?
Why is the Canon-McMillan athletic field still closed to the public?
No one knows.
Rather, someone knows but won’t say. This is wrong on so many levels it’s hard to know where to start. But let’s start with the article from the Sept. 26 edition of the Observer-Reporter where a resident addressed the school board. The article states, “(She) told the school board the track is unusable.”
There is an ambiguity here. Is the word “unusable” to mean “unsafe,” “in poor condition” or “hazardous”? Or is it to mean, “unavailable,” “off-limits,” or “prohibited”? It’s obviously the latter case, since there have been several football games played there since school started in August. I was walking by there a few days ago in the afternoon, and a soccer game was in progress. So obviously the track is safe to use, or it would be closed to all events. It seems that only the walkers and joggers (of which there are many) are the only ones being locked out.
As to the reason, it is completely unacceptable for an elected official to say we can’t comment. The repair is being funded by taxpayer money. Taxpayers deserve to know what the situation is. If it’s a contract dispute between the district and the contractor, say so. Details are not really needed at this point if negotiations are in progress.
The track is obviously safe for use. Open it for the public. Close it again when repairs are due to be made. We will understand. As nice as the Chartiers-Houston track is, we would rather use the track we paid for.
John Manning
Canonsburg