Source: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com, April 23, 2017
By: Jeff Hamilton
Triple B Stadium Inc., the company that owns and manages Investors Group Field, says it doesn’t believe taxpayers should be footing the bill for ongoing repairs at the stadium, which have now hit $21.4 million.
Those costs, said Triple B chairman Andrew Konowalchuk, should be the responsibility of the architect and contractor, a belief reflected in Triple B’s lawsuit against the two parties (builder Stuart Olson and architect Ray Wan) that is still open in the courts.
“As that lawsuit is ongoing, Triple B will limit its public comments on the issues that are before the court,” Konowalchuk said in an email Thursday. “We are confident that those issues will be resolved appropriately through an open and transparent judicial process.”
Konowalchuk was responding to a Free Press request for an update on ongoing repairs at IGF, and information on current and projected costs of the work. The Free Press reported the details of a public tender — dated last July — for extensive work to be done, much of which Konowalchuk has confirmed.
“Those steps include a phased sequence of repairs including extensive concrete repairs and the incorporation of building waterproofing systems and drainage,” he said. “The first phase of repairs included remediation work on the upper concourse level, specifically with respect to water infiltration and general building drainage and was completed under budget and on schedule.”
“The first part of the second phase of repairs is expected to be completed by the beginning of May. This work addresses water infiltration of the main concourse level, as well as the waterproofing and drainage of the entire lower bowl seating areas. The remaining second phase work of lower bowl waterproofing will continue during breaks in the 2017 and 2018 event schedule with a designated completion date of May 2019. To date, this work is on schedule and the cost is anticipated to be within the budgeted amount.”
Konowalchuk didn’t say what the budgeted amount was for the project, but it’s important to note the repairs are backed by a $35.3-million loan that has been guaranteed by the province. In total, the remediation costs to date have hit approximately $21.4 million.
There are still a host of items to be addressed on the to-do list, including water infiltration due to improper back sloping of concrete slabs, stair repairs, stabilizing sidewalk settlement, including the addition of slip flashing, and canopy roof gutter leakage.