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You might notice some changes happening around Festival Place over the next year.
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Construction has begun on the facility to replace the exterior cladding. Strathcona County said the major upgrade would see crews re-insulate and replace the existing siding with new stucco and black panel accents.
“The exterior will be mostly stucco, but we’re adding some smooth panels in several places around the building. We’re also doing some minor electrical and mechanical work, all related to the exterior, as well as new Festival Place signs on both the east and west faces of the tower,” explained Jason Ruhl, project manager of facility capital projects with Strathcona County. “Right now, we’re also looking at replacing the exterior windows and doors on the facility with ones that are significantly more energy-efficient.”
Other new changes include new exterior electrical and building lighting. The new lighting will include a lighting feature that will display changing colours in various locations on the building.
The new work is expected to cost about $2 million.
The good news for fans attending events at Festival Place is that the facility will remain open during construction. Temporary fencing and overhead protection would be installed to keep those visiting safe. There will, however, be a closure of a short section at the northwest corner of the building but signage will be posted to direct pedestrians to alternate routes.
Ruhl said despite the pandemic causing delays in most areas of life, it actually sped up the project.
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“We’d originally planned this work to occur over the next few years,” Ruhl said. “When the Government of Alberta announced the Municipal Stimulus Grant Program in 2020, we applied with this project and received a grant, allowing us to proceed ahead of schedule.”
The work should be completed in under a year, with the major work expected to be done by the end of 2021. Further seasonal portions will be completed in the spring of 2022.
“We maintain this building on an ongoing basis –for example, we’re recently done work on kitchen equipment and on the sliding glass wall inside,” Ruhl said. “We completed a project about 10 years ago refinishing the interior, and we also converted the building from gas-fired boilers to our district energy system in Centre in the Park about eight years ago.”
Festival Place first opened its doors in April 1994 and has welcomed thousands of people to enjoy a wide variety of performing arts programs and events every year.
The Patio Series, which kicked off on Canada Day after being closed since November 2020 due to the pandemic, will also be moved during construction.
“We’ve already started the Summer Patio Series concerts on Wednesday evenings just slightly north, in the Peace Park,” said Ruhl.
You can find out more about shows and events at visitfestivalplace.ca.
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