Victoria, B.C. - Victoria will apply for $1 million in federal funding to upgrade track and field facilities at Victoria High School.

Councillors decided the $3.5 million at Vic High to be a higher priority than $2 million in improvements to an all-weather field in the southwest corner of Beacon Hill Park near Mile Zero.

Mayor Dean Fortin said whether or not the project goes ahead is dependent on financial support form other sources as well. He said the local Vic High alumni association is behind the project as is the Bays United soccer association.

The city applied for funding for the project more than two years ago but was unsuccessful. However, the exercise proved there is strong community support for the project.

City staff said either project is a likely candidates for up to one-third funding under the federal Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RinC) Program.

“The only way they’re going to go forward will depend very highly on third-party funding,” Fortin said

Fortin said the Vic High project has been pushed by the community for a long time.

City director of parks and recreation Kate Friars noted that several sources could be tapped for the $2.5 million needed to complete the project, including 2010 Olympics Legacy funding, community sport association funding, school district funding through school community connections and school alumni funding.

Deadline for the application is June 19 and the work must be completed by March 31, 2011.

Greater Victoria School District chairman Tom Ferris said the district’s primary contribution would be the land, but the district would assist in any way it could.

The Beacon Hill project, meanwhile, would have been less expensive.

Coun. Pam Madoff had concerns about the all-weather technology. She said it would be akin to covering a portion of Beacon Hill with a shower cap.

Both projects would include an artificial turf field and a lighting system. At Vic High, the project would include an all-weather track coated with an acrylic latex texture, surrounding the artificial turf field. The track isn’t wide enough to meet international or national standards but is the only such facility in the city.

The proposal at Beacon Hill would see the under-utilized field in the southwest corner of the park redeveloped into an official-sized soccer and rugby pitch within the existing sports field.