June 12, 2007

Olympics

Richmond Oval skates forward

Peter Mitham

Correspondent

The Richmond Oval, one of the key Lower Mainland venues for the 2010 Winter Olympics, is moving forward with the help of innovative partners.

Pile driving and site servicing is currently underway on the site of the $178-million speed-skating venue, located between the No. 2 Road and Dinsmore Bridges. Funding for the project includes $30 million from each of the federal and provincial governments, with Richmond responsible for the remainder.

“The weather’s been fantastic, so there’s no weather challenges. Trades are working well. We’re following our schedule, and have actually accelerated it a little bit,” said Greg Scott, director of major projects with the city of Richmond.

City of Richmond

The Richmond Oval sports an innovative roof which incorporates natural materials, such as glulum arches that provide acoustic absorption.

Removal of 100,000 tonnes of preload deposited on the site last fall to compact ground and ensure the venue’s structural stability began a month ahead of schedule on June 29. The early start gives the project a good lead on construction, Scott said, although it won’t prevent delays occurring down the road. Project manager is MHPM.

Richmond has tendered about 20 per cent of the project to date, Scott noted, with tendering for the remaining 80 per cent slated to conclude by October.

“We’re on schedule. From a budget point of view, all of the packages received have fit within our cost plan,” he said. “We should see our project coming in within budget.”

Costs are being kept to a minimum through the use of suppliers such as Structurecraft Builders Inc. of Vancouver, which has designed a sophisticated roof that serves multiple purposes.

Prefabricated roof panels feature two-by-fours milled from timber harvested in the mountain pine beetle-devastated forests of the province’s Interior.

Perched on glulam arches, the panels are more than a means of incorporating natural materials in a venue that will be a landmark for visitors to Richmond.

“We are able to curve these panels as well as create a soffit with the wood in a form that could create acoustical absorption,” Structurecraft principal Gerry Epp explained.

“I don’t know if they could do what this roof does as economically as we’ve done it.”

Scott said Richmond is seeking similar arrangements with other suppliers.

The 355, 200-square-foot speed-skating facility will seat 8,000 people when it opens. In addition to a 400-metre speed-skating track, the venue will include sports medicine and wellness services along with retail and restaurant space.

There are currently 100 people working on the Oval to make sure the project meets its scheduled completion date of summer 2008.

"We should see our project coming in within budget."

Greg Scott

City of Richmond

Scott said the public project promises to launch a wave of private-sector development through the north Richmond area, currently dominated by light industrial properties. A 19-acre slice of the oval site, which totals 32 acres, is set to sell later this year for residential and retail development, but adjacent areas are also poised to see redevelopment at some point.

“What we’re trying to do is make a connection between our city centre and the (Fraser River) waterfront,” he said. “You’ll see (the Oval) as a catalyst for high-quality land development in the area.”

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