Prince George, B.C. – While the  upgrades to the Masich Place Stadium are  to start this Friday,   Mayor Lyn Hall  would like to see a plan put in place  to upgrade the grandstand.

The  work that will begin this week is focused on the track  and the field elements, but while  Mayor Hall says he is happy to see there will be some façade improvements to the grandstand as part of the $4.2 million dollar  upgrade,   there is more work  that needs to be done.

He labelled  the current grandstand  as “very rundown”.  Adding, he doesn’t want to see the City put $4.2 million dollars into  a complex  and then walk away from it  saying ‘we’ll get at this’ “It’s like saying  you will put up a carport this year,  and  in a year   you’ll build a garage,  but  you never build the garage.”   He  says there is still work that needs to be done  to make the  grandstand accessible  to all  spectators,   and that there needs to be improvements to the dressing rooms and the concession area.

City Manager  Kathleen Soltis   says some suggested projects can be  brought  forward for the 2018 capital plan and the costs of those projects  “In addition we can bundle up anything that might be required for the  2022 Summer Games.”

There is an open house   set for Wednesday evening at Masich Place Stadium where  staff will be on hand to  answer questions from the public on the  project.  That open house is set to run from 5:30 to 8:30.