BC Place to be CLOSED for 6 months during Roof construction

[firstdown45]

Was at the Open House yesterday at BC Place at Gate H (there's another one tommorow Thursday 4 - 7 pm) and was impressed with the models and drawings of the new Retractable Roof on BC Place and the development around it.

Spoke at length with one of the architects and indeed the Stadium will have to be fully closed for 5 to 6 months during the process of dismantling the current dome and finishing the Retractable Roof.

Part of the Retractable Roof can be built with the dome inflated, but not the end part cause the new cable have to be strung across and they are a different set of cables than the ones currently there.

And the closure will have to happen during the good weather months cause they can't have the Stadium open during monsoon season. That means the Stadium will be closed during football season.

Looks like the Lions better get some temporary bleacher seating ready for Swangard or Thunderbird.

All this hoopla about the Retractable Roof, but no one tells the fans that there will be one whole season of football played somewhere other than BC Place.

It's almost as if we're not being told the whole story. Like people behind the scenes are being evasive.

Show up to the Open House tommorow night and ask the architects yourself if you want to get an idea of what really will be happening, as opposed to what the spin is.

The renderings I saw indicate that in June at high noon, with the roof open the sunlight will cover about half the field.

[Wakesbetterthanyou]

the roof should be kill.....will take away from the stale air in bc place plus get more ppl to come out to games in the summer months. tho i doubt that they will be moving the lions for a year....im sure there is some kind of plan to accomodate the lions and get the dome done.

[firstdown45]

Well I recall Bob Ackles saying there would be no interruption. Now I hear differently.

The truth always comes out in the wash.

[Wakesbetterthanyou]

Well I recall Bob Ackles saying there would be no interruption. Now I hear differently.

The truth always comes out in the wash.

well, thunderbird/swanguard doesnt have the seating to accomodate the lions. unless they want to limit themselves to what, 10,000 seats? I think thats around what thunderbird holds.

[firstdown45]

I know, that's my point. I'm flabberghasted. How can the Lions play in a 10,000 seat stadium?

Tell 20,000 season ticket holders that they don't have enough seats to accomodate them all?

Set up a lottery system so only the first 10,000 fans get tickets and 20,000 others are left out in the lurch?

Total crapp. So much for the Retractable Roof garbage!

[Dan_Payne_fan!!]

mabey they will do it during the offseason. did you ever think of that?

[KnowItAll]

All this hoopla about the Retractable Roof, but no one tells the fans that there will be one whole season of football played somewhere other than BC Place..

coulda told ya that from day one. No way in hell are they going to put in a retractable roof in time for Olympics without interferring with the lions. It was never going to happen.

[firstdown45]

Offseason? During the monsoons? Great idea, there's no drainage so let the Stadium fill up with rain water

[Tighthead]

All this hoopla about the Retractable Roof, but no one tells the fans that there will be one whole season of football played somewhere other than BC Place..

coulda told ya that from day one. No way in hell are they going to put in a retractable roof in time for Olympics without interferring with the lions. It was never going to happen.

Who said it is in time for the Olympics?

[Hambone]

Good thing I'm in Manitoba where the sky isn't falling.

First of to KIA. The retractable roof is being completed after the Olympics.

Last time I checked there were still 12 months in a year. Last time I checked a CFL season lasted 5-1/2 months from 1st exhibition game to Grey Cup game. For this exercise I discount the exhibition game as a non-factor as any creative thinker would look at the Dome construction as a marketing opportunity for the CFL to move it to a neutral site. So now you're talking reuglar season and playoffs only. This year it's 22 weeks and 4 days from regular season opening kickoff until the final gun at the GC. That leaves 29 weeks and a few days where the Dome isn't required for regular season or playoff games. There's more of the year where the Dome isn't needed for football that it is.

A little bit of creative scheduling (something Ackles acknowledged as a possibility) and marketing and the Lions can stay out of the Dome until late July. Partner with the CFL and play the home exhibition game at a neutral site. Ottawa should be back for 2010 so give the Lions the Week 1 bye. Start the Lions on a 3 game road trip (hey it's an extraordinary circumstance) and there's no need for a BC home game until late July meaning the Lions only need it for less than 4 months. Maybe a few trade shows late in the trade show season can to relocate to the new Trade and Convention Centre for a year or be rescheduled for another timeslot at the Dome. If that's done then the contractors can fly at it from early/mid-March to late July with no impact on the Lions. In fact while the Lions might not like the thought of starting the season with a long road trip for football reasons they'd probably gladly trade it for the improved gate having a schedule backloaded with home games under the new roof. Make no mistake they will benefit immediately on that as BC Place will again be THE place to be for the initial honeymoon period the new lid will provide.

[bclions16]

I hear that all of Yaletown will be evacuated at the same time.

[Hambone]

Offseason? During the monsoons? Great idea, there's no drainage so let the Stadium fill up with rain water

You really need to get out more. Drainage? We don' need no stinkin' drainage.

Technology has advanced since they invented the umbrella and gum boots. Go up north in the oil patch where muskeg is king and the water table during the summer is at ground level. There are dozens of companies with hundreds and hundreds of trucks who do nothing but suck up water, sewage, oil spills and any imaginable type of fluid be it out a drill site or in town inside a mill. It's an industry of its own in the north. Similarly down on the coast there is all kinds of spill containment technology and companies who would love to have to deal with something as simple and clean as rainwater on cement. You'd also be amazed what can be done with some simple temporary containment berms to collect the water and some pumps. Other than the floor everything else us concrete and blue plastic seats. The seats will probably all be covered with tarps anyways while construction is on going which would flow most of the water to the floor where it can easily be contained and removed.

[TheLionKing]

Much ado about nothing. The Lions will be playing in the dome.

[B.C.FAN]

Offseason? During the monsoons? Great idea, there's no drainage so let the Stadium fill up with rain water

You really need to get out more. Drainage? We don' need no stinkin' drainage.

Technology has advanced since they invented the umbrella and gum boots. Go up north in the oil patch where muskeg is king and the water table during the summer is at ground level. There are dozens of companies with hundreds and hundreds of trucks who do nothing but suck up water, sewage, oil spills and any imaginable type of fluid be it out a drill site or in town inside a mill. It's an industry of its own in the north. Similarly down on the coast there is all kinds of spill containment technology and companies who would love to have to deal with something as simple and clean as rainwater on cement. You'd also be amazed what can be done with some simple temporary containment berms to collect the water and some pumps. Other than the floor everything else us concrete and blue plastic seats. The seats will probably all be covered with tarps anyways while construction is on going which would flow most of the water to the floor where it can easily be contained and removed.

Well said. My basement would fill up with water in the winter if I didn't use a sump pump. Most construction sites in Vancouver use pumps. It's standard practice.

[DanoT]

This is just another "the sky is falling " thread from FD45http://lionbackers.com/bc_lions/posting.php?mode=reply&f=2&t=15828#