Katz criticizes flaws in stadium planning, design
City involved in process: province
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Winnipeg Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $0.00 a X percent off the regular rate.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/04/2014 (4194 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Mayor Sam Katz said not enough attention was paid to key details of the design of Winnipeg’s new football stadium.
Katz said the flooding problems at Investors Group Field from the snow melt is another example of serious flaws in the structure’s design.
“In my opinion, there should have been much more time devoted to details which for some reason were overlooked,” Katz said. “I have no explanation for it, we (city hall) weren’t involved with it but there’s no doubt in my mind that is the case.”
The stadium’s design deficiencies include handrails that had to be replaced, uninsulated plumbing, crawlspaces that required fireproofing, and a press box open to the elements.
“With all due respect, that’s just poor planning. End of story. Poor planning,” Katz said.
The Bombers said snow melting from the stadium roof has damaged luxury suites and the visitors’ dressing room but would not provide a cost estimate and declined repeated requests from the city’s media outlets to see the damage.
Katz said he was troubled that the Winnipeg Football Club and BBB Stadium Inc., the non-profit body responsible for its construction, refused to allow the media to inspect the facility after news of the flooding became public.
Katz said the stadium is a public facility paid for with tax dollars.
City involved in process: province
Katz’s comment prompted the Selinger government to point out the city’s involvement in IGF’s construction as one of the four stakeholders in BBB Stadium, the entity that built the facility.
Former Winnipeg CAO Phil Sheegl was BBB Stadium’s chairman throughout the construction process, said Ron Lemieux, the provincial Minister of Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection.
Lemieux said he will not second-guess the Winnipeg Football Club’s decision to prevent media from visiting the facility.
He repeated his assertion the new stadium is the best in Canada and was built far more cheaply than a similar facility planned for Regina.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Related Articles
Bombers ink import O-lineman Quentin Saulsberry added to Bomber roster
Advertisement Advertise With Us
History
Updated on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 2:00 PM CDT: Adds comment from the province.