Blue Bombers stadium undergoing $21M in repairs ahead of training camp
Winnipeggers are getting a fresh look at the extensive repairs being done to the Investors Group Field. The fixes are at the centre of a legal fight between the consortium that runs the facility, the builder and the architect.
Dozens of construction workers were cutting and fitting paving stones and sealing joints with thick black tar Monday as repairs continue in an effort to complete the work before the Winnipeg Blue Bomber training camp starts.
Crews worked through the winter under giant tents at both ends of the stadium to plug leaks and fix drainage. The concrete in the end zones was torn up and re-graded and waterproof membranes have been installed.
New drains have been installed every dozen metres or so. Workers are re-installing seats in the stands that were moved to accommodate the repair work.
The repairs, which will continue over next two years, will be suspended in May for training camp. Mini-camp training camp starts April 26.
Triple B Stadium Inc., the consortium comprised of the Winnipeg Football Club, the City of Winnipeg, the provincial government and the University of Manitoba has so far paid out $21.4 million to fix the problems.
In a statement last Thursday, Triple B's chair Andrew Konowalchuk re-asserted the group's position that the cost for the repairs are the responsibility of the contractor that built the stadium — Stuart Olson — and the architect who designed the building, Ray Wan.
The Progressive Conservative government has promised to work with Manitoba's Auditor General to find out why the stadium required so much repair work just shortly after it was opened.
Triple B has launched a lawsuit against the two to recover the remediation expenses, expected to be completed by May of 2019. The consortium has borrowed $35 million from the government of Manitoba to cover the cost of repairs.
The stadium site is also buzzing with activity as work goes ahead on a new rapid transit station, bus loop, and pedestrian ramp connecting to IGF.
The city hopes that work will be completed by the start of the football season and in time for events at the stadium for the Canada Summer Games.
