A sports historian who is writing a book about the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games said its disappointing Empire Field will be a construction site next summer during the 60th anniversary of Vancouvers first major international multi-sport event. [The Empire Games] still is one of the most well-known and well-remembered sports events in Vancouver and B.C.s history, said Jason Beck, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fames curator. Every year that goes by, more people that were involved in the Games either as an athlete or spectator, we lose a few more. Its an opportunity for people to gather and remember.
On Wednesday, city council is expected to rubber-stamp the building of a $10.5 million destination park, sport and recreation facility on the former site of Empire Stadium at the southeast corner of Hastings Park. The project is costing $2.1 million more than originally budgeted and scheduled for a fall 2014 opening a year later than planned. Staff recommend hiring Tybo Contracting for $8.2 million plus GST, but did not disclose the bidders and their prices in the report to councils finance and services committee.
Empire Stadium was built for the July 30 to Aug. 7, 1954 Games, which were featured in the first edition of Sports Illustrated and climaxed with the Miracle Mile between Britains Roger Bannister and Australias John Landy. The moment Bannister passed Landy en route to victory is immortalized in a statue at Hastings and Renfrew.
That wasnt just the big sports story of the day, that was the big news story, Beck said. All these dispatches going out with the Vancouver placeline, Vancouver was top of mind, at least for a day, around the world.
The project includes two synthetic turf fields with a warm up area and bleachers for 400 spectators, a rubberized running track, parkour urban obstacle course, fitness equipment, sand volleyball courts, street soccer, ball hockey and basketball court, BMX dirt jump area, improved access to the Leeside skateboard tunnel and 3.25 kilometres of new bike and pedestrian paths. Historical signage is planned.
Empire Field has been off-limits to public play since the spring 2010 erection of a $14 million, temporary 27,500-seat stadium for the B.C. Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps while B.C. Place Stadium was closed for renovations until September 2011. B.C. Pavilion Corporation donated the floodlights and $2.8 million AstroTurf synthetic field to the city, but the city plans to spend $673,000 to replace the lights and power and buy 10,000 square feet of extra synthetic turf for $160,000 to stitch into the field.
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