BC Place To Get Half Billion Dollar Roof

BC Taxpayers Put New $458,000,000.00
Roof On BC Place Stadium

VANCOUVER – A fixed-priced contract for the construction of a new, retractable roof on BC Place has been signed between the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo) and PCL Constructors Canada Inc, announced Kevin Krueger, Minister of Tourism Culture and the Arts and David Podmore, PavCo chair, today.

As first announced in May 2008, a new retractable roof will be built after the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The project will be completed by the summer of 2011, in time for the 2011 Grey Cup. The total capital cost for the retractable roof project will be $458 million. The final budget for the roof project is based on a competitive bidding process, including a fixed-price contract for construction with PCL, as well as engineering costs. An appropriate contingency fund has been allocated.

Once complete, the roof will be the largest cable-supported, fully-retractable, fabric roof in the world at more than four hectares (10 acres). The design allows for the fabric roof to retract into the centre of the roof opening and be hidden inside a suspended, four-sided electronic video board, without compromising sightlines. The roof will be able to open or close within 20 minutes.

BC Place opened in 1983 and averages over 200 event-days a year, generating an economic impact of $58 million annually. A retractable roof will attract an additional 41 event-days to Vancouver per year. These additional events will increase the annual economic impact of the stadium to $100 million per year.

Comment: Not much has changed since the days of the Roman Empire and their philosophy that to control the mob just give them a loaf of bread, jug of wine and a circus.
Let me get those numbers straight, currently 200 event days generate $58 million annually which works out to $290,000.00 per event day yet the additional 41 event days will generate another $42 million or $1,024,390.00 per event day? Can that be right?
It is hoped that the 'competitive bid' is not like the ones the city of Montreal has been engaged in for years. There, it is said local taxpayers have been paying about 30% too much for contracted work due to high level corruption.