Since reopening last fall, BC Place Stadium has hosted a Grey Cup and a CONCACAF women’s Gold Cup. Now it has a trophy of its own.
The International Stadium Business Awards on May 15 in Turin, Italy, declared it the project of the year. It beat out four other nominees, including the renovations to Manchester United’s Old Trafford. Not too shabby for the crew of architects from Stantec on the pioneering project to reinforce the 1983-opened stadium and replace the air-supported dome with a retractable roof.
The total cost of the budgeted $563 million renovation remains a tightly guarded B.C. government secret. A spreadsheet provided by BC Pavilion Corp. (PavCo) under Freedom of Information showed $490.04 million had been spent by last December. Expenditures for January through March were censored.
Additional costs, which are not visible, include resolution costs with Telus, claims resolution and project work requiring better weather in spring 2012.
The $35 million to $40 million cash and goods and services offer from Telus to buy naming rights for 20 years was scrapped by government in February. Telus, which installed $10 million to $15 million worth of telecommunications equipment last summer and fall, continues to negotiate an exclusive supplier agreement with BC Place.
The “claims resolution” reference is not specific, but PavCo was named as one of several defendants in a $6.5 million lawsuit filed by French cable supplier Freyssinet against steel contractor Canam last October. Canam countersued for $26.15 million.
A BC Supreme Court trial is scheduled in fall 2013. In March, a judge heard that grease damage to the roof fabric from the cables could cost $10 million to fix, but PavCo said cleanup would be $1 million and the responsibility of contractors.
In April, the false fabric ceiling that is used at Whitecaps games to obscure the empty level-four seats sustained $20,000 of damage.
A casino could rise next to the stadium after all. Paragon Gaming president Scott Menke said a decision would be made by August 1.
BC Place management is preparing for a development permit application to the city (council rezoned the site last December) and groundbreaking in the fall.
One of the three Telus-owned videoboards might be removed. The one facing the Cambie Bridge may be within the construction footprint.
Paragon originally wanted to build a $450 million hotel/casino complex connected to BC Place’s west side. City council refused the bid for 1,500 slot machines but said Paragon could move the existing 600-slot licence. Menke would not say how or if the project’s scope and design have changed.
X-Games out
The Bell-sponsored 2010 Winter Olympics seem like a distant memory for many in Whistler.
On May 1, ESPN announced it wouldn’t be bringing its X-Games to Whistler in 2013. The local tourism industry was stunned after assuming the legacy of the 2010 Games and a $750,000 bid budget would do the trick. The made-for-TV extreme sports festival, which has influenced the Olympics’ sports menu, was going to be combined with the annual Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival.
When that didn’t happen, Telus cut its support and won’t be back for a 14th year.
Don’t expect the 10-day, season-ending sport, music and art festival to melt like the snow. It’s a major tourist draw and still has a roster of sponsors like Coca-Cola, General Motors and Kokanee.
“Change is good,” producer Sue Eckersley told ESPN.com. •
