Clayton Park’s state-of-the-art sports facility is racing along on schedule and on budget, says Terry Gallagher, manager of facility development for HRM.
About 175 workers are building the walls and roof of the $40.5 million Canada Games Centre ahead of a critical deadline.
“The next big milestone we’re going to be reaching is making the building weather-tight in December. That’s a very important deadline — it lets us begin a lot of the interior work and not have to do it in very cold temperatures,” explains Gallagher.
The 176,000-square-foot Lacewood Drive project is swiftly rising out of the ground, with the steel framework almost complete.
“It won’t be as dramatic over the winter as you drive by, because the work is moving to the interior of the building,” he notes.
HRM only got the funding for the centre in August, 2008. At that time, there were no designs or construction plans.
“To go from a starting pistol shot 13 months ago to where we are now, that is a real achievement. There are not many projects that proceed that quickly. We’re on a really accelerated path with this building,” Gallagher says.
The Canada Games Centre will host a variety of future provincial, national and international competitions. It will include an indoor track, a training pool and separate leisure pool, multi-sport gymnasium courts, and a health, fitness and wellness centre. In addition, the centre will provide classroom space and meeting rooms. The building is also designed to meet or exceed a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver rating.
The centre is scheduled to be completed by December, 2010 so that it can be prepared for the February, 2011 Canada Games. It will open to the public mid-March, 2011.
Diana Whalen, MLA for Clayton Park, worked hard to replace the aging Northcliffe Centre. The old aquatics facility was originally built as an outdoor pool in the 1970s, with structures built on top of it to make it year-round, she says.
“The mood in the community is very positive, and we’re looking forward to its opening,” she says of the Canada Games Centre. Hosting the Games will be a huge boost for Clayton Park, but the centre’s long-term contribution to the area is what really excites Whalen.
“It’s going to have so much space for a lot of sports. It’s going to be great for the wellness and activity of our community,” she says. Features such as an indoor walking/running track mean it is accessible for people with a range of ages and abilities, she adds.
More online
A new photo of the centre is posted daily at www.halifax.ca/canadagamescentre/webcamera.html.
