May
Stadium buzz in Saskachewan
Courtesy Vancouver Province:
Pat Fiacco has something to peruse during the Mayor’s Mega-Minute Reading Challenge.
Regina’s mayor said Friday he “can’t wait” to get his hands on a report — done on behalf of the Saskatchewan government and presented to its officials Thursday — that examines the options for a football stadium in Regina.
The possibilities mentioned previously included refurbishing Mosaic Stadium (home of, among others, the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders) or building a stadium. A new facility could be an outdoor stadium or a dome, possibly with a retractable roof.
Not surprisingly, Fiacco is eager to see what the report suggests.
“(The process) is actually taking a step forward,” he said. “It’s an actual document now, a living, breathing document rather than people just talking about it. We know it’s been delivered. We’ll hear in the next little while what the next moves are.
“I have enough faith in the government that when it’s time for them to share the information with me they will do that. It’s only fair that they share it among themselves first. We’ll get in on it eventually.”
Until then, Fiacco is in the dark as to what the province will suggest as a course of action.
“I think frankly there’s a genuine interest in possibly looking at something better,” he said. “What that better is we don’t know, but something better.”
The City of Regina, which owns Mosaic Stadium, was contemplating upgrades to the facility that would cost $120 million.
Instead of spending that kind of money and getting only a renovated stadium, the city also examined the idea of spending more — likely around $350 million — and building a complex to house sporting activities, concerts, cultural events and so forth.
The city would need financial support from the province, the Roughriders, the corporate community and possibly the federal government.
“This is no small project; this is big,” Fiacco said. “That’s why it’s taking so much time. Using (Premier Brad Wall’s) words, he believes that there could be an innovative way of funding this, which is also important.”
During a conference call Thursday, Roughriders president and CEO Jim Hopson said the idea that a new stadium is even being considered reflects the strength of the province’s economy.
“We’re really excited,” Hopson said.
