Coquitlam's Town Centre Park will get $3 million in upgrades this year - money being spent with an eye to the 2016 BC Seniors Games.
This month, the city will tender a $2.5-million contract to replace the grass Town Centre north field with artificial turf. Construction is expect to take place over the summer and will mean a partial closure of the northeast parking lot, which will affect parking for the numerous events happening at the park, including the BC Highland Games and Scottish Festival in June and Canada Day.
At the same time, crews will be installing $100,000 worth of new seating at Percy Perry Stadium and power-washing the concrete building.
As well, the city is currently redesigning a roof over stadium's field house - a 6,000 sq. ft. building that went up in 1989 - that will cost up to $400,000 to replace.
At Monday's council-in-committee meeting, city staff said the roof is in bad condition as it leaks into the electrical room and has damaged a number of the roof stringers.
But Maurice Gravelle, Coquitlam's general manager of strategic initiatives, said the structure is in good shape; the building will be part of an overall review of parks and recreation facilities next year.
Coun. Craig Hodge, the city's sports council chair, said the field house was heavily used last weekend at the 10th annual Dominic Mobilio Friendship Tournament, organized by the Coquitlam Metro-Ford Soccer Club.
Hodge is also asking the city to purchase a snow removal machine for the artificial fields at Town Centre Park and to redesign the crosswalk along Pipeline Road.
From Aug. 23 to 27, 2016, Town Centre Park will host track and field, tennis, horseshoes, soccer and mountain biking BMX for the BC Seniors Games.
Joyce Fordyce, Coquitlam's manager of major recreation facilities, told the committee on Monday the city will also look at using the outdoor dry floor - approved by council last year and now being built beside Dogwood Pavilion - for the Seniors Games.
And later this year, the city will be asking for nominations to form a 15-person Coquitlam Seniors Games Society, which will stickhandle the event's $460,000 budget.
