Olympic Stadium | A new synthetic turf and a filled tower

The Olympic Park will soon be buying a new playing surface. This news will delight MLS soccer players who have complained many times about the quality of the surface in the large stadium.

Andre Dubuc
The Press

The public call for tenders was launched on July 25 on SEAO, the Government of Quebec’s electronic tendering system operated by CGI on behalf of the Secretariat of the Treasury Board of Quebec. The opening date for submissions is August 19 before 10 a.m.

The current area, so hated, belongs to the Montreal club, reminds the management of the Olympic Park, responsible for the management of the Olympic facilities.

This year, for example, it was written that the player of the local club Mathieu Choinière injured his foot because of the synthetic surface of the stadium in a match against Philadelphia on March 5th.

The cost of buying and installing a new surface varies between $750,000 and $2 million. For example, BC Place in Vancouver changed its surface in 2015 to 1.3 million, according to press reports.

“The supplier must build a base of granular materials, he must also supply and install a complete synthetic turf system, including lining and marking work for soccer or football to be determined by Olympic Park”, we read in The call for tenders.

A roof proposal by the end of the year

Regarding the file for the new roof, the Park and the consortium led by Pomerleau are still holding workshops, as was the case last February. The objective is to arrive at the filing of a proposal at the end of the year, says Mr. Labrecque.

The stadium boss points out that the roof is supported three quarters by the tower and only one quarter by the stadium, which adds complexity to the project.

Mr. Labrecque did not want to give a figure as to the cost of replacing the roof. “We buy a roof that will last 50 years which will qualify. You don’t buy a prize. We will see in due time what the group is proposing to us, and the government will make its decision. »

Objective of 100,000 more visitors for the new funicular

As for the new funicular and its revamped stations, they will finally be ready to welcome tourists in the summer of 2024.

The summit station will stand out with its outdoor walkway on the roof of the world’s steepest tower. Before the pandemic, the funicular received 200,000 visitors a year. The goal is to increase traffic by 50% in 5 years, to 300,000 people, says Michel Labrecque.

The device, which will have a lifespan of 30 to 40 years, is being assembled in Switzerland at Doppelmayr. “The site is going well, but there are back and forths,” said the CEO. Our engineers went twice to Switzerland to see the progress of the work. »

Tower 100% occupied

The Olympic Park announced on Monday the rental of the last 5 unoccupied floors of the tower, which has 14. Desjardins has decided to exercise its options on the 8^e and 9^e floors, he who already occupied floors 1 to 7. For its part, the firm SIGMA-RH, present on floors 10 and 11, has just retained floors 12 to 14, floors of smaller dimensions.

The delivery of the premises is expected in January 2023. The tower will thus be fully occupied for the first time in 30 years.

“The occupants say it: it takes pleasant workplaces and that’s what they have in the tower,” confided Michel Labrecque to The Press. It’s beautiful, the view they have, and the offices are extremely bright. We see the Laurentians. With the renovation of the surroundings of Viau station, where a park will be set up in the fall of 2023, [le secteur] will become a real living environment, and that’s what the tenants bought. »