Work underway to flatten parts of Bernie Custis Secondary yard after petition by Hamilton students | CBC News

Work to remove the grassy mounds on Bernie Custis Secondary School’s (BCSS) only green space started this month, after students spoke out earlier this year over the lack of usable land for sports and play at the high school.

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) said the work is set to finish before next week, when the new school year starts.

The east-end high school opened in 2019 and is the only one within the school board without direct access to a proper sports field, HWDSB said. The school also doesn’t have a full yard.

Instead, there was a grassy area with berms — small hills on otherwise flat terrain — between the school and the adjacent Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre. 

Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Nann put forward a motion in 2022 to make changes to the space.

This week, the yard appeared to be flattened in places, with some larger berms remaining on the outside of the space. Trees have also been planted around the perimeter.

Victoria Hoeksema is starting Grade 11 at BCSS in September. She and a fellow student started a petition earlier this year to have the berms removed and build a sports field for the school that gathered almost 400 signatures.

She’s glad the work is being done, but said she was “annoyed” the removal started so late in the summer, which means those starting football practice this year will still have to go elsewhere.

Kara Bunn, manager of parks and cemeteries with the City of Hamilton, said in an email that the work is expected to finish before the start of the school year, “weather permitting.”

Bunn said the work is being done to create a “playable area.” The cost of the work was split equally between the city and the HDWSB, with each party paying $32,500.

Tim Hortons Field access remains unchanged for the school

Hoeksema said she’s looking forward to seeing how the area will be used.

“I’m excited to see people actually like hanging out on the grass part,” she told CBC Hamilton.

She also said she hopes the school’s football and soccer teams will have more opportunities to practice using the area and “become a better team.” 

BCSS teams can book Tim Hortons Field across the street — where both the Tiger Cats and Forge FC play — for up to 400 hours per year, a partnership that was supposed to alleviate the need for green space while a nearby park is built. 

Brightside Park, which will be a 15-minute walk away from the school, is set to offer a field for the students. However, construction for it won’t start until 2025.

Hoeksema said there have been talks between the school and the field to improve access to the field and allow students to attend school games.

Sports and entertainment manager for the city, Rob Gatto, said in an email no changes have been made to how the school can book times at the field.

“Bernie Custis has confirmed bookings in the months of September and October for the upcoming school year at Tim Hortons Field,” he said.