Architects have begun drawing up design plans detailing their vision for a new football stadium on West Campus.
The plan, which is still in development, will be released at the December meeting of the Campus Planning and Development Committee.
Andrew Simpson, vice principal (operations and finance) and chair of the executive committee undertaking the West Campus Field Sports Project, said the project is still in the very early stages.
The executive committee held its first meeting on Thursday.
“I have been working with the consultants for some time, and the preliminary thinking is going to be presented to the Campus Planning [and Development] Committee in December for information and feedback,” he said. “We are not at the point where we’ve actually got a final plan.”
Simpson said the Board of Trustees approved the proposal for the stadium project, as well as a $400,000 fund to begin planning it at their March 2005 meeting.
“The Board approved the planning money so we could engage with some consultants to review, particularly, West Campus [and] other fields on campus,” he said. Jenn Hirano, AMS VP (operations), who is a member of the executive committee, said while there has not been any public discussion, all the stakeholders are taking part, including sports teams, the School of Physical Education and the School of Education. Currently, she is the project’s student representative.
Hirano said the idea for a new stadium is not new.
“I think they have really been wanting to [build a new stadium] for a long time,” she said. “[Richardson Stadium] is deteriorating.”
Simpson said that the idea for the rejuvenation program arose from discussions surrounding the Queen’s Centre, but that it is not otherwise connected to the Queen’s Centre.
“The contingent who were interested in outdoor field sports very rightly pointed out that there were very significant [concerns with the] fields at West Campus,” he said.
Simpson said the design proposal is the first stage of a multi-step process that must take place before construction can begin.
Once the design is approved by the Campus Planning and Development Committee in December and the Board of Trustees in March, the University can begin studying the feasibility of the project.
“What is being approved [at the December meeting] is the concept and the design … that is, not an approval to go forward in terms of construction,” he said. “Then we can do feasibility work and raise sufficient finances to [build the new stadium].”
Hirano said a timeline has not been set for the project.
“[We’re] not really sure,” she said. “Closer to five years than 10.”
Simpson added that the consultants on the project—the Toronto and Kansas City-based architecture firm HOK Urbana—are the top architects in the area of university and college stadium design.
“If we can raise sufficient funds to do this, it will be a superb feature for Queen’s to have,” he said. “A stadium and new fields would be a marvelous addition to our facilities and offerings to students.
“It is a significant project and we hope that we can keep it moving forward.”
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