Sneak Preview of Sport Centre

Wednesday, March 28, 2007 12:30 PM

The Northern Sport Centre is on time and on budget, and today members of the media were given a sneak preview of the building. From the outside, the building looks low and grey. The white wrapped area visible in this photo is the main entance, and where you see white wrap now, there will be glass.

The facility will have enough space to park 260 vehicles.

The finished centre can handle 4500 people.

The photo at left shows just inside the main entrance, where there will be a reception area, work out studio and access to offices as well as physiotherapy and sport medicine areas.

Once past the reception area, there is access to a weight room and squash courts.

The photo below left is taken from the weightroom level showing the fieldhouse level which will be home to two full sized soccerfields. The fields will be covered in "polytan ligaturf " which is featured in the photo at right

The gem of the new centre is the running track which is 30 feet above "ground level" and can handle a maximum 200 people at one time. As shown in the photo below, the track is high over the level where there will be space for three basketball courts and seating for 2,000 plus spectators.

The project is on time and on budget, even though the weather did present some challenges. At least 6 days were lost because the roof wasn’t in place before the first big snow, and the ground had to be thawed before concrete could be poured on the main level.

The facility is expected to be ready in time for the op[ening of the University at the beginning of September , although the official grand opening is set for the 21st of that month.

The focus now is on getting the message out that there is a state of the art facility in Prince George ready to be be booked. To that end, a special marketing brochure has been produced and is ready for distribution.

Previous Story - Next Story

Email |

Print |

Facebook |

Twitter |

Digg |

Del.icio.us

Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 12:30 PM in News by 250 News

Return to Home

Comments

Posted by: lunarguy on March 28 2007 2:22 PM

The reason why it is on budget is so much of what was to be included in the P3 partnership was pushed back on to the University to do or just out right cut from the project. Any project can be on budget if your willing to cut cut and cut.

Posted by: realitycheck on March 28 2007 2:28 PM

Those statements prove you know absolutely nothing about the project.

Give us a concrete example of something that was cut from the actual plan that was funded almost two years ago today, not the "dream" that every project starts with.

I am aware of several changes but they were based on potential user feedback not cost cutting.

Posted by: owl on March 28 2007 4:00 PM

I do not know which position to take on this. However, there are 4 conditions which drive a project such as this.

1. time
2. scope
3. quality
4. cost ....

change any one of them and one or more of the others will change.

So, at the time when the contract was signed, how were each of those defined?

Since the signing, has there been a change to any one of those conditions? I am assuming that since it is on budget, that the cost has not changed. It also appears to be on time, so that has not changed either.

So, who knows whether the scope or the quality has changed? These are the most common methods of getting a project to meet the time and cost conditions.

Scope � has the size been changed? Is part of the building left unfinished? Is fixed equipment such as time clocks, etc. that were originally in the contract to be provided through another cost account? Etc., etc.

Quality � a great place to save money in the short run. Flooring quality change? Dorr hardware change? Window frame section change? Etc.

I believe this was not the normal lump sum contract based on detailed prescriptive specifications, but was based more on performance specifications since there was not a lump sum bid on detailed contract drawings. Thus, such changes in materials are the most common changes made if one runs short on the budget. After that comes removing items which could be classified as fittings from the contract and placing them into another cost centre.

So before I believe anyone, I would have to know some details since it is far too easy to spin such stories if someone would want to do that.

Been there, done that.

;-)

Posted by: Palopu on March 28 2007 7:38 PM

Will be interesting to see the Special Marketing Brochure, and what it has to offer.

Posted by: lunarguy on March 28 2007 9:34 PM

The sound system, the score boards, the furnishings are all different from what was originally envisioned. Not for the greater in any any case. Those are just the systems I am involved in enough to comment (not in an sort of official way, just from talking with those involved from day one ) but there is others. Not a big deal to admit the project is over budget but of course it is one of the sell jobs to the public for why P3's are so great, is that all projects come in on budget.

My issue is not with the sports centre but rather the propaganda about P3's and how they always come in on budget.