'Do it all at once': Budget for expanded Gordie Howe Sports Complex climbs to $42M

The budget for upgrading Saskatoon's Gordie Howe Sports Complex has increased to an estimated $42 million to allow for even more new features at the west-end recreation park.

Those newly-added features include:

• Space for a Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
• Two baseball and softball practice fields for kids.
• Lighting at the Glenn Reeve Fields to allow for night-time cross-country skiing.
• Batting cages.
• More parking and walkways between facilities.
• Upgrades to existing facilities.

These items come on top of already-announced elements which previously had the project costing around $30 million such as:

• A centre for "international-standard" track and field and speed skating, dubbed the "lead project" of the expansion.
• Ski trails cutting through Glenn Reeve Fields and other parts of the complex.
• A multi-sport indoor training facility to include classrooms and a weight room.

Check out the map below to see how all the elements, new and old, lay out. (On mobile? Click here.) Elements on the map are numbered as follows: 1) Multisports complex 2) Ticket booth 3) Track and field track 4) Speed skating track 5) Storage space 6) Ski rack 7) Ticket booth 8) Multisport indoor training facility 9) Multisport field turf 10) Gravel parking lot 11) Electrical building 12) Plaza 13) Plaza 14) Storage 15) Baseball and softball practice fields 16) Batting cages 17) Ski trails and hills

Hosting big-time events

"All those [new] items really added to the outcomes of the project, but also to the expense," said Bryan Kosteroski, the chairman of Friends of the Bowl, the group that's raising money for the project.

"A lot of our investors from the past phases have said, 'You know what? You guys need to do it all at once. Make things happen. Get it done.'"

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Upgrading existing facilities will also open up the possibility of the complex hosting future national and international sports championships.

A men's softball championship hosted at the complex last year led to $3.1 million in spending with local businesses, according to Kosteroski.

The current funding situation

Friends of the Bowl has already raised $16.1 million for the $42-million expansion. The vast majority of that comes from private donors living in Saskatoon whom Kosteroski says would prefer to remain anonymous.

The city, which owns the complex, has already promised $1 million.

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Friends of the Bowl is hoping the city will kick in another $5 million, to be stretched over the next five years.

City councillors have said they want to look at the latest plan before committing any more money. They're expected to discuss it Monday morning at city hall.

But some councillors are clearly already impressed by the Friends' efforts so far.

"This is really incredible," said Randy Donauer during Kosteroski's last presentation, last fall, to city council.

Construction schedule for track

Kosteroski said he hopesconstruction of the new track will begin on March 1 and finish by mid-September.

At that point, "there's a specialized material we're putting on top of the track where the speed skating people can flood and create their speed skating oval," said Kosteroski.

"It's just like putting a blanket over a bed."

The track will then open to the public in the spring of 2019.

Saskatoon-based Wright Construction will oversee the full expansion project, said Kosteroski.