Murray Wood: Fall season is too brief to waste indoors
Today marks the first day of fall, as the equinox arrives. Murray Wood says that despite the fantastic temperatures we'v...
Construction on the new Mosaic Stadium is now 60 per cent complete.
On Monday, the city provided an update on the $278 million project that is scheduled to be finished in August 2016.
The work is focusing on the west side which has seen much of the build to date under the ground.
Even with the progress made at this point, PCL Construction’s Sean Hamelin admits the pressure remains.
“It’s fast paced and it’s high pressure, internally, to get the job done”, he explained. “But I am confident with the people that are on the project and the plan that we have, that we will execute it on time.”
Wintry weather is around the corner, but Hamelin isn’t expecting that to delay the work of the crews.
“If, for example, it’s very windy they may choose to not do work on the highest part of the roof or something like that, but they are very experienced in that type of work and able to make those judgment calls.”
The construction update focused on the differences taking shape between the new and old Mosaic Stadium.
The spectator roof will feature 130,800 square feet of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fabric roofing that will be installed in the spring of 2016. It looks like a piece of paper and allows sunlight in, while at the same time offering shade, wind and snow protection. It is made by a firm out of Texas.
This fall, you will start to see the addition of new lighting. Approximately 400 LED fixtures with wireless control will shine on the new stadium providing 75 per cent of energy savings compared to the traditional sports lighting. Regina’s new stadium will be the first in the Canadian Football League with LED lighting. They’ll be turned on for the first time in the spring of 2016.
Widespread seating will slowly be added over the coming year. Each seat is rail mounted with an armrest and drink holder. On average, each seat is 20 inches wide with an extra five inches of extra leg room compared to what people are used to in the old stadium. There is more room for movement as the distance between each row is 33 inches. If you do have to get up and miss some of the action on the field, you will be only walking maneuvering around 28 seats in a row compared to 43 at the old facility.
Head of the Regina Revitalization Initiative, Brent Sjoberg, hopes fans will see marked improvements on their game day experience.
“People will have a much more comfortable experience in terms of watching events at the facility.”
Reporters on a tour of the stadium Monday were given an up-close look at each item.
Regina Mayor Michael Fougere was also on the tour and was excited to see all the developments.
“Every day you drive by you see something added to the stadium, but when you come inside and see all the work being done, it it is truly iconic. Incredible”.
The first Rider game will take place in the new stadium in June 2017.
