Macdonald Island Park is set to get even bigger with a 55-million dollar expansion.
The park announced today that it’ll build three new facilities; firstly, a four thousand seat outdoor stadium for football and other sports as well.
“It meets the needs of sports, and will bring us to a Canada Games standard,” says Tim Reid, Chief Operating Officer.
“It also meets the needs of special events,” he added.
“This will give us the opportunity to host up to 20,000 people in a concert venue, and then turn around the next day and be a place to play soccer.”
The plans also include a 2,300 seat baseball stadium that Reid says they hope will attract a prime tenant.
“We’re really excited to be in discussions — preliminary discussions — with a semi-pro team that wants to move to Fort McMurray,” he says.
The plans also include a new shared space centre for use by local non-profit groups.
Reid says the target is for construction to begin in 2012, and for the facilities to be complete by the summer of 2013.
MacDonald Island is aiming for the “first pitch” at the baseball stadium to be thrown in July of that year.
Pictures of the proposed plans can be found at http://stadium.macdonaldisland.ca/
Macdonald Island will be hosting three community feedback sessions this month to gather input on the designs.
