Winnipeg's latest field of dreams has been given a downtown location, with the release of a new version of the David Asper aspired stadium to be home to the Blue and Gold.
The latest version of the stadium will find it located to the Point Douglas area of the city, an area which traditionally isn't thought of when you think of exciting developments in Winnipeg, generously described by some as downtrodden it's normally a part of the city that is quickly forgotten by those that travel on the streets through the district.
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Included in the new design in addition to the striking design of the outer shell will be a water park, designed along the lines of a Disney park or West Edmonton Mall. If that were to be constructed as part of the new stadium, it would be the second large scale water park development planned for Winnipeg in the last six months, though many suspect that if the Asper plan moves forward the second park will disappear into the Manitoba sunset.
Included in the new design in addition to the striking design of the outer shell will be a water park, designed along the lines of a Disney park or West Edmonton Mall. If that were to be constructed as part of the new stadium, it would be the second large scale water park development planned for Winnipeg in the last six months, though many suspect that if the Asper plan moves forward the second park will disappear into the Manitoba sunset.
The redesign and shift of location is all part of the ongoing bid by Asper to build Winnipeg's new destination park, the re-design has also resulted in Asper not having to chase as much in public financing for his project, this plan now requires contributions of 15 million dollars in federal money and 25 million from the province of Manitoba, down significantly from the 40 million each that the previous plan for Polo Park had required. While he seeks less from the government the actual final price of the project will be significantly higher than the previous Polo Park design.
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The financial aspect may help to move the project further along, though there will surely be some fallout from some opponents, who may not find the idea of relocating long time residents out of their homes in the Point Douglas area.
The plan however, could be part of the long term rejuvenation plans for the neighbourhood and taking advantage of the proximity to the downtown area and its view of the skyline as well as providing another link to the St. Boniface district of the city via a foot bridge across the Red River.
The facility would gain a year round availability possibility with the installation of a bubble over the field portion of the stadium, though you wonder why in a city with Winnipeg's climactic challenges the thought of a full scale domed stadium never seemed to gain much traction.
The details of the new and improved proposal were just released today, so it will be interesting to watch the feedback that Asper and the City of Winnipeg receive over their plans over the next few weeks.
Below are some links to the details of the plan, included in some of the news stories are some comments from the public, an early sounding board for the rather exotic stadium project and those that would like to see it finally come to completion.
Blue Bomber website-- Blue and Gold, Stadium plan
CBC Manitoba-- New Winnipeg stadium proposal unveiled
Winnipeg Sun-- Proposal for new football stadium in the works
Winnipeg Sun-- Proposal for new football stadium in the works
Winnipeg Sun-- Stadium backlash baffling
Winnipeg Sun-- Letters to the editor
Winnipeg Free Press-- Asper unveils new stadium vision
CTV Winnipeg-- Big plans for Point Douglas
Global TV Winnipeg-- Point Douglas plan revealed
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