The Olympic Park will soon be purchasing a new playing surface, news that will please MLS footballers, who have often complained about the quality of the ground in the main stadium.
Posted at 8:00 am
André Dubuc The press
The public bidding was launched on July 25 on SEAO, the Quebec government’s electronic bidding system operated by CGI on behalf of the Secretariat of the Quebec Ministry of Finance. The closing date for entries is August 19 before 10 am.
We agreed to buy a FIFA PRO quality surface, the international standard for artificial grass, so CF [Montréal] will play on a high quality surface.
Michel Labrecque, CEO of the Olympic Park
The current, so hated area belongs to the Montreal Club, the management of the Olympic Park, which is responsible for the administration of the Olympic facilities, would like to remind.
For example, this year it was written that local club player Mathieu Choinière injured his foot on March 5 in a game against Philadelphia because of the stadium’s synthetic surface.
The cost of buying and installing a new surface varies from $750,000 to $2 million. For example, according to press reports, BC Place in Vancouver increased its area to 1.3 million in 2015.
“The supplier must build a base of granular material, they must also supply and install a complete artificial turf system, including cladding and marking work for football or soccer ball to be determined by the Olympic Park,” the tender reads.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
The Olympic Park announced on Monday the leasing of the last 5 unoccupied floors of the tower, which has 14.
An umbrella proposal by the end of the year
On the dossier for the new roof, the park and the Pomerleau-led consortium are still holding workshops, as they did last February. The aim is to have a proposal submitted by the end of the year, says Mr Labrecque.
It’s complicated in every way. We don’t want to be wrong. We are very careful. It takes its course.
Michel Labrecque, CEO of the Olympic Park
The stadium boss points out that three quarters of the roof is supported by the tower and only one quarter by the stadium, which complicates the project.
Mr. Labrecque would not quantify the cost of replacing the roof. “We buy a roof that will last 50 years and that qualifies. You don’t buy a prize. We will see what the group proposes to us in due course and the government will make its decision. »
100,000 more visitors than the target for the new funicular
The new funicular and its remodeled stations will finally be ready to welcome tourists in the summer of 2024.
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY OLYMPIC PARK
The new funicular is scheduled to receive visitors in the summer of 2024.
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY OLYMPIC PARK
Eventually, an outside walkway will be accessible at the top of the tower.
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The mountain station will feature an outdoor walkway on top of the world’s steepest tower. Before the pandemic, the funicular had 200,000 visitors a year. The goal is to increase traffic by 50% to 300,000 people in 5 years, says Michel Labrecque.
The device, which will have a service life of 30 to 40 years, will be assembled at Doppelmayr in Switzerland. “The site is doing well, but there’s back and forth,” the CEO said. Our engineers have traveled to Switzerland twice to see the progress of the work. »
Tower 100% occupied
The Olympic Park announced on Monday the rental of the last 5 unoccupied floors of the tower, which has 14. Desjardins has decided to exercise its options on the 8th and 9th floors, which already occupied floors 1 to 7. For its part, the SIGMA-RH company, which is present on floors 10 and 11, has only retained floors 12 to 14, floors of smaller dimensions.
The handover of the premises is expected for January 2023. The tower is now fully let again for the first time in 30 years.
“The residents say it: It needs pleasant jobs and they have them in the tower,” Michel Labrecque told La Presse. It’s beautiful, the view they have and the offices are extremely bright. We see the Laurentians. With the rehabilitation of the area around Viau train station, where a park will be created in autumn 2023, [le secteur] will be a real residential environment, and that’s what the tenants have bought. »