Nelson disc golfers are a bit closer to being able to set up a course in the city. But their proposal, which would put the course on cemetery lands, has generated heat from city council.
The disc golf society is asking for permission to put up a temporary course on a section of land between the Burlington Northern Rail Trail and the cemetery. But because the land is considered part of the burial ground (though it’s too steep to be used for that purpose), council will have to amend its current bylaw on the cemetery to allow sports to be played on the site with written permission.
But the idea of sanctioning games near gravestones didn’t sit well with councillors Bob Adams or Robin Cherbo.
“The cemetery, as far as I’m concerned, is a very sacred space, especially if you have someone buried up there,” said Adams at Monday’s council meeting.
He also said the plan might anger some of the church and community groups who have a stake in the cemetery. “It’s their cemetery... did we ask any of them if they wanted disc golf up there beside them?”
Cherbo said he’d be more willing to support the disc golf course if the land was sectioned off from the cemetery and rezoned, so it’s not part of the graveyard. But the suggestion didn’t get far after city manager Kevin Cormack pointed out the subdivision would require some expensive surveying.
Council agreed to get started on the bylaw change, but when it came to the subject of what the Disc Golf Society should do in the meantime, another argument broke out.
While staff recommended the society hold a public meeting before council approves their plan, councillor Deb Kozak said the group has already gathered plenty of feedback from residents in the area — which was presented to council at an earlier committee of the whole meeting — and should be given the chance to test its plan out before it’s asked for another round of community input.
“There’s not much else they can tell us until they go out and do it,” she said.
That set off another round of worries from Cherbo, Adams and mayor John Dooley, but ended up being a moot point.
Until council actually amends the cemetery bylaw to allow sporting activity on site, it can’t give the group authority to use the land. That process requires up to three more meetings for reading and adopting the bylaw change, though it can be sped up.
“We might get to it next year at the rate we’re going,” councillor Donna Macdonald noted as Kozak’s motion was tabled for the night.