Saskatoon Construction II

[buffalowelding]

There is a new storage type building we were involved with and our electrician is working on. People should be aware, this is Vantage Developments operating under a new name. They're an Alberta company. It is on Piggott Cres, just off Marquis Drive next to the railway. Here's a link to the Google search for them:
https://www.google.ca/search?q=vantage+d...tf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=r532Vq2BMYLgjgSnvpTwBQ

They haven't paid us or their electrician yet. We did our work 2.5 years ago and that junk heap is still sitting there.

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by nook

They use that arena for way more than lacrosse and hockey.

Like? What other events do they hold there that can justify a new building? They aren't going to build a new one because of concerts or We Day or another one-off event.

[nook]

Originally Posted by EpicPonyTime

Like? What other events do they hold there that can justify a new building? They aren't going to build a new one because of concerts or We Day or another one-off event.

Might not get as many concerts with an older arena, honestly. But yeah, concerts, trade shows, events like We Day are other things hosted out there. But what about other national/international events?

Though I will say, if the bones of the Sasktel Centre are still good (they're concrete, they better be or that's another issue) I would think that doing an exterior renovation to the arena to give it more concourse space might be something to consider over a new arena. Lots of arenas in the US have done that... America West arena in Phoenix, the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, PNC Arena in Raleigh. Lots of space out there to do it with, too.

Edit: Did a mock-up of an exterior type of renovation from above. You keep the guts of the arena, but just add onto the exterior and create wider concourses, more facilities, maybe even move the main entrance to the arena to the north end.

[skSK]

Originally Posted by SaskScraper

Saskatoon making headlines in other parts of the country for all the wrong reasons yet again.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/traffic/th...t-happens-when-a-bike-lane-project-fails

This doesn't really surprise me because I've found bike lanes & paths in Saskatoon aren't well plan or maintained to begin with. This Spring will bring a whole new crop of potholes that won't get repaired & will have grass overgrown on paths like in NorthEnd Airport Industrial area as usual

This is one of the most important topics in the past year, in my opinion. More than the Victory Majors or North Prairie proposals even, because I think this pilot project has the potential to be transformative for the city. I agree totally with the assessment in the article; that the rollout hasn't been totally successful and that a failure here could be seen as a failure of bike lanes in general as an idea for Saskatoon. I'm always excited by plans like the growth plan or North Downtown, but this is a rarely-seen concrete example of a component that appears in many of them (active transportation) and I worry that if the city views this as a failure then it will be many more years before we have an effective bike network.

[dac717]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

There's already plans for North Downtown and it's very very unlikely that a rink is added to the plans.

I still maintain the current Toys R Us site is the best spot in the city for a new rink. We need one since the current location is just plain terrible. We've seen essentially zero investment because of SaskPlace (other than a hotel and gas station). A rink downtown would spur condo development and dozens of restaurants.

I completely agree with you regarding the benefits of an arena downtown. Edmonton has fully embraced this and what they have building out at the moment is absolutely spectacular. It is so much more than an arena, but that's what started it all and is essentially the future hub of that area. Toys R Us location could be a great option. That's the southern gateway to the downtown and could really enhance the entrance.

[Stormer]

Unless potash goes to $1000/tonne and Oil back to $100, Saskatoon will not be getting a downtown arena in the next 20 years, when the SaskTel Centre is perfectly serviceable. No one is going to put up the $300 million+ that would be required to get something substantially better than SaskTel Centre.

Such arenas are guaranteed money losers without an NHL team. This means that the Government/City has to pay for it.

[prairieguy]

Originally Posted by Stormer

Unless potash goes to $1000/tonne and Oil back to $100, Saskatoon will not be getting a downtown arena in the next 20 years, when the SaskTel Centre is perfectly serviceable. No one is going to put up the $300 million+ that would be required to get something substantially better than SaskTel Centre.

Such arenas are guaranteed money losers without an NHL team. This means that the Government/City has to pay for it.

Hmmmm....that is probably what many said about the new Mosaic stadium...
I can't find the report, but I recall seeing just a year or so ago how Sasktel (was Credit Union Centre then) was one of the busiest and most profitable arenas in North America! Imagine the impact that could have in a downtown or central location.

I do agree tho....a new arena is probably a bit of a pipe dream given how much our province has already spent on a sports facility. And as a taxpayer, I would not want to be in the same situation as our good neighbors down in Regina with respect to their civic taxes tied to stadium.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

Hmmmm....that is probably what many said about the new Mosaic stadium...
I can't find the report, but I recall seeing just a year or so ago how Sasktel (was Credit Union Centre then) was one of the busiest and most profitable arenas in North America! Imagine the impact that could have in a downtown or central location.

I do agree tho....a new arena is probably a bit of a pipe dream given how much our province has already spent on a sports facility. And as a taxpayer, I would not want to be in the same situation as our good neighbors down in Regina with respect to their civic taxes tied to stadium.

The City's financial statements say that it basically breaks even on an operating basis. But of course it does not contribute anything to its initial capital costs nor debt servicing costs. A new stadium would be expected to do so - like Mosaic now will.

The Province will never give more than about 25% of the capital costs of any arena in any City. They will not give anything if it is not needed in the Government's view.

[jigglysquishy]

And the Sask Party has adopted the Riders as part of their identity. It played a huge role in the stadium having the funding and political will to get done.

No other sports franchise in the province even comes close to the Riders from a cultural standpoint. People were arguing for a roof on the stadium even if was completely illogical. There was a damp religious fervor in favor of the stadium.

The Blades and Pats won't have that level of public and political support.

[nook]

Great.

A Regina/Saskatoon 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 match again.

[CCF]

If Moose Jaw can find the will/finances to build a new arena, I'm sure Saskatoon could do the same. It's just a matter of changing one's infrastructure priorities.....and going heavily into debt.

[Dalreg]

Pretty sad when the biggest topic for discussion is debating an arena that won't be built in most of our lifetimes.

I can't understand how a growing city like Saskatoon struggles to have one construction crane in it's downtown core....

[The Bess]

What's really sad is not being able to have a what if moment without all the trolls from other cities coming out

[prairieguy]

Originally Posted by nook

Great.

A Regina/Saskatoon 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 match again.

That was not MY intent, and I am sorry if I stirred the pot. If one reads my entire post I agreed that a new arena for Saskatoon is highly unlikely any time soon. Please...no more us vs them. I am glad we are getting a new football stadium...was lucky enough to walk by it last weekend and it looks like it will be spectacular!

I do appreciate the arguments that Sport Tourism Saskatoon is bringing forward, along with the Sasktel Centre indicating a cost analysis needs to be done as to the type of reno's and associated cost for those. Sasktel Centre has fully disclosed that although the seating has been expanded to 15,000 seats any event with more then 8,000 attendees cannot be adequately accommodated (food service, concourse area - may be even a safety concern??, washrooms, etc.). So, it makes sense to look at what we can get doing reno's and for how much versus investing in a new facility that may contribute more to economy and growth by being more centrally located. Bang for buck principle!

I for one am glad the discussion is happening now. The arena has served this city and province well to this point, but what needs to happen in future to remain competitive?

[Wyku]

Here is what SaskTel Centre would look like in a few somewhat open areas of downtown. Stuff would have to be demolished to make room for it somewhere else (Toys R Us would have to be demolished as well of course).

1. Toys R Us/Midtown Parking Lot


2. Midtown/Hilton Garden Inn Parking Lot


3. Somewhere in the future North Downtown development


Parking would be a major challenge for #1 and #2 as is, but option #2 would be pretty cool and could even have a direct link to TCU Place which I imagine would be a pretty big draw for conventions and whatnot that they seem to be missing out on now. I'm sure the Holiday Inn and Hilton Garden Inn would love it there too .

[nook]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

That was not MY intent, and I am sorry if I stirred the pot. If one reads my entire post I agreed that a new arena for Saskatoon is highly unlikely any time soon. Please...no more us vs them. I am glad we are getting a new football stadium...was lucky enough to walk by it last weekend and it looks like it will be spectacular!

I do appreciate the arguments that Sport Tourism Saskatoon is bringing forward, along with the Sasktel Centre indicating a cost analysis needs to be done as to the type of reno's and associated cost for those. Sasktel Centre has fully disclosed that although the seating has been expanded to 15,000 seats any event with more then 8,000 attendees cannot be adequately accommodated (food service, concourse area - may be even a safety concern??, washrooms, etc.). So, it makes sense to look at what we can get doing reno's and for how much versus investing in a new facility that may contribute more to economy and growth by being more centrally located. Bang for buck principle!

I for one am glad the discussion is happening now. The arena has served this city and province well to this point, but what needs to happen in future to remain competitive?

Honestly, I think renovating the Sasktel Centre is probably the way they're going to go. Massive renos to the exterior to add adequate concourse space, kind of like I diagrammed a page ago. Why? Because I don't think the city will be able to find space downtown. I don't think they really have plans to pull the rails out, and it's really tough to build an arena on a postage stamp of land. Edmonton is doing it though, so I guess they could.

But you're right, the discussion needs to happen now. Renovating the Sasktel Center will be the most popular public opinion anyways. I heard a ton of people at the Rush game on Saturday wondering how they can safety fit that many people in an arena with such a small concourse.

What I'd love to see downtown is a 4-5,000 seat ballpark, but we have no team to play in it.

[SkydivePilot]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

Hmmmm....that is probably what many said about the new Mosaic stadium...
I can't find the report, but I recall seeing just a year or so ago how Sasktel (was Credit Union Centre then) was one of the busiest and most profitable arenas in North America! Imagine the impact that could have in a downtown or central location.

I do agree tho....a new arena is probably a bit of a pipe dream given how much our province has already spent on a sports facility. And as a taxpayer, I would not want to be in the same situation as our good neighbors down in Regina with respect to their civic taxes tied to stadium.

Back when the new Mosaic was approved/finances were determined, things in SK were not bad. If there was a proposal for a new Rider stadium was within the past year? No chance in hell would it be built. The Riders and fans are damn lucky that things are progressing with that project; we dodged a bullet.

I would bet that SaskTel Centre could be remodelled though. At least it is a stand-alone facility in which crews can access it from anywhere around the periphery.

[dsmmace]

What about a stadium at the Exhibition Area Grounds? What kind of shape is Marquis Downs building in?

[Jimmy James]

Originally Posted by SkydivePilot

Back when the new Mosaic was approved/finances were determined, things in SK were not bad. If there was a proposal for a new Rider stadium was within the past year? No chance in hell would it be built. The Riders and fans are damn lucky that things are progressing with that project; we dodged a bullet.

I would bet that SaskTel Centre could be remodelled though. At least it is a stand-alone facility in which crews can access it from anywhere around the periphery.

With the provincial economy in a slump, now is actually a good time to be considering an expansion of SaskTel Centre, as construction costs have declined. The costs of material and labour have declined over the past two years - both were a significant hurdle over the past five years and caused several projects to be delayed.

I would be in favour of financing a $20-$30 million expansion of SaskTel Centre. It wouldn't take long to recoup the costs with as busy at that building is. There is no way we need a new facility downtown.

On another note, realtor friends of mine are confident the ALT hotel and condo tower are a certainty to be built in the next two years now that costs have come down and there will be less competition for construction labour. They're fairly certain at least the 12 story tower will also be built shortly after. Once the new Roughriders stadium and the structure of the Children's Hospital is completed, we will see cranes in downtown Saskatoon. There were three at this time last year, Dalreg!

I have also heard rumblings that North Prairie will not proceed with their condo tower portion of the City Centre development until 2017, at the earliest. Their priority has now shifted to their office building in Stonebridge. I think the City Centre towers have will soon take the place of River Landing in the "big plans, no action" category.

[SkydivePilot]

^^^^ Maybe they'll git 'er done!!! (SaskTel Centre) ^^^^