BC Place may get new lid for 2010

The marshmallow on the Vancouver skyline may soon be toast.

The Crown corporationthat owns BC Place has confirmed Thursdayit's looking to replace the roof before the stadium hosts the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Games.

The stadium's pressurized roof collapsed in a snowstorm on Jan. 5, 2007, after staff over-inflated it, causing arip in the aging teflon-coatedfabric.

It was quickly patched and returned to service, but David Podmore, the chairman of PavCo, said it's common knowledge the roof needs to be replaced in the next five years, and it makes sense to do it sooner.

"My thinking is if you are going to replace the roof, if you're going to have to do it within the next three, four, five years, you should endeavour to complete it before 2010,"Podmore told CBC News.

PavCo is considering several bids, including a retractable roof, a new ridged roof and a partially covered stadium.

If the option of an open-air stadium is chosen, Podmore said taxpayers would saveup to a$1 million a year in energy costsrequired to heat the publicly-owned facility, but it would also mean the stadium's outer walls would need reinforcement.

The 60,000-seat stadiumwas built by the provincial government in 1982 and is the largest air-supported dome in the world.It is run byPavCo with a $4-million subsidy fromthe B.C.government.