Coliseum fix begins
Published Wednesday February 11th, 2009
City will spend an estimated $750,000 to bring Moncton Coliseum up to code, restore seating capacity
By Brent Mazerolle
Times & Transcript Staff
Reductions to the maximum allowable capacity of the Moncton Coliseum should not affect the 2009 Ford World Men's Curling Championship, even if planned city upgrades worth an estimated $750,000 are not completed by then.
This stairwell at the south end of the Moncton Coliseum is one of the exits that needs upgrading to meet newer, more stringent fire codes governing the capacity of the building.
Lynn MacKenzie, the event manager for the curling championship, said yesterday that building a media area at one end of the bowl and accommodating television camera platforms throughout the arena has already reduced about 300 seats from the building's total.
"We're looking at (a maximum capacity of) 6,000 per event," MacKenzie said, adding she was confident all the other people who might be in the building at any given time -- competitors, staff, volunteers and media -- should come in under the almost 500 extra souls the arena can legally hold above the 6,000 spectators.
As well, the event's spillover into the adjacent Agrena space will also help, as the new 6,465 maximum capacity is the number for the Coliseum proper, not the total capacity of the entire complex. The Labatt Patch, where curling fans can watch the action from next door on big screens in a beer garden atmosphere, will occupy the Agrena during the championships. The curling championship runs April 3-12.
By then, however, the Moncton Coliseum may be back in the business of holding about 7,000 for hockey games and curling and almost 7,500 for concerts and other events where seating can be placed on the ice surface floor.
That was the word from the City of Moncton's director of municipal facilities yesterday. Bruce Tait said the goal was to have two exits upgraded in time for the 2009 Ford World Men's Curling Championship, and to have at least most of an upgraded fire alarm system operational by then.
The work on the alarm and emergency lighting system throughout both the Coliseum and Agrena, part of the requirements of a safety audit of the Coliseum done by the provincial fire marshal's office, were already under way. Tait said the work has been done in segments because the building can't be left totally without such systems while the work is under way.
Currently, the alarms in the various parts of the complex are not interconnected, meaning an alarm sounding in part of the Agrena, for instance, wouldn't set off the alarm in the Coliseum. As well, inadequacies have been identified with the emergency lighting, and Tait said both require more sophisticated and expensive systems because the complex does not have an emergency generator.
The other key issues are the need to build enclosed cinder block corridors that would, in the event of an emergency, take patrons from the stairwells at each end of the Coliseum's mezzanine to doorways that exit outside. Currently, those stairs lead to a large open space beneath the mezzanine, a situation that no longer meets codes. Should there be a fire, fleeing patrons should not evacuate one large open space into another, where fire and smoke could be quickly spreading.
As well, the main emergency exit from the floor of the Coliseum, through the large opening by the penalty boxes on the east side of the bowl, will need some rethinking. Currently, that leads to an open space where vehicles and other equipment are stored during events.
"An exit doesn't just mean a door. It's how you get to the door that matters too," Tait said.
Jim Banks, the Moncton Fire Department's division chief for fire prevention, said yesterday the work done by the city will have to meet the specifications of a fire protection engineer. Once a professional engineer gives the proposed work the thumbs up, Banks said his office will raise the building's capacity again. Tait said the city has already hired such an expert.
Those questioning how Moncton Fire Department officials, who are City of Moncton employees, can do their jobs without bias or fear of recrimination, should know it was Banks' office that first raised the red flag with concerns.
"We get our authority under the (provincial) Fire Prevention Act," he said. "We called in the (provincial) fire marshal and said let's work together with the city to get safety improved."
He said their duty under the provincial act is why the public often sees fire prevention officers at Coliseum events.
"We're not just there watching the game or the concert," he said, explaining they check exits, watch for trouble with crowd flow and look for potential hazards throughout the complex, including places outside the public's view. He added problems are much easier to spot when there are actual crowds and events in the building, apart from the fact fire prevention officers must be on hand to enforce regulations.
One aspect of yesterday's report in the Times & Transcript requires clarification. The total number of seats in the Coliseum is 6,598, meaning the new total number of people allowed in the building is 133 less than the number of seats. However, at a typical sold out hockey game, where some fans prefer standing room tickets and a maximum of 200 standees are allowed, there will have to be 333 empty seats to offset those 200 fans.
*** I wonder how these changes are going to affect floor space for trade shows. If they have to add halls made from cinder blocks from the stairs to the exits they are going to be using up a lot of valuable floor space.
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