After some initial concerns, the City of Estevan says Spectra Place will be ready to host its first event March 25.
In late February it was reported in The Mercury that worries about the progress of some of the contractors working on the $22 million facility had led to some doubts as to whether Spectra Place would be far enough along to host the final arena fundraising dinner which will be headlined by Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke.
City manager Jim Puffalt says a significant amount of work has been completed since that last report and the dinner will move ahead as scheduled.
"Graham Construction has done an outstanding job of getting people working together and we will be ready for the March 25 event," said Puffalt.
"We have been watching it very closely over the last month to six weeks. You can see almost daily progress and in my mind I was most comfortable last Wednesday when I went for a tour and looked and saw what was left to do. Knowing that they are on schedule and are meeting all requirements, I am pretty to go in there and say ya, we will be open."
Among the many concerns the committee to build Spectra Place had raised was whether or not the lifesaving equipment, such as the fire suppression system and alarms, would be ready and tested in time.
Puffalt said that all systems have either been tested or will be tested in the next few days. He added that although there will be some projects left to complete after the dinner and that some areas will be off limits, he is excited to finally unveil a project that has been five years in the making.
"The main lobby and the entrance lobby is where you can see a lot of finishing going on. You walk into the bathrooms and the fixtures are there. The drop ceilings are going in and they are painting. Really, its wrapping up," Puffalt said.
"Friday when the doors open and people that haven't seen it yet come in, I just want to stand and watch their faces. I think people are just going to say wow."
As well as getting ready for the dinner, the City is also preparing for the grand opening concert April 15. Tickets for the show, which includes Canadian rock icons Tom Cochrane and Kim Mitchell, went on sale earlier this month and Puffalt said sales have been brisk.
Puffalt added that it's important the public get behind the event and make it a success as promoters will be watching to gauge whether or not they want to bring other shows and events to Estevan.
"It's a new facility in Saskatchewan and we want to be able to go to promoters after this event and say look at what happened here, we sold out the place. This is a place where you can bring concerts and events and people will support it. It's a good opportunity to showcase to the province what we are all about."
Although the City is promoting the grand opening concert, Puffalt said the future plan is to hook up with a promotions company for future events.
"It's not our immediate line of business promoting concerts and events. We would love to be the supplier of a facility and food and beverage services. That way we ensure there is no risk to the City and it is basically a revenue generator for the City."
