Cost of roof higher than stated

According to Vaughn Palmer over at the Vancouver Sun, the new cost of the roof on BC Place is actually $513m. The announced $458m doesn't include the $55m that has been spent already in getting the stadium up to standards for the Olympics. Here's his take on it:

In a piece last Saturday's Sun on the cost overrun at BC Place, I noted that the budget for renovating the domed stadium and adding a new retractable roof had escalated from the "up to $365 million" approved by treasury board last year to $458 million in the fixed-price contract announced Oct. 23.

But a complete financial picture would also include the amount that has already been spent to bring the stadium up to standard for the 2010 Games, namely an estimated $55 million.

If added to the amount announced last week, the dollars already spent would push the overrun ($513 million versus $365 million) to 40 per cent.

Or, if you prefer, count it as another $55 million taxpayer contribution to the ever-escalating cost of staging the 2010 Games.

But don't hold your breath waiting for the B.C. Liberals to concede either possibility.

vpalmer@shawlink.ca

Whitecaps release four more players... and quit the USL?

The team just announced that they have released four more players: defenders Marco Reda and Michael Unpronounceable Lastname (Ndubuisi Onwatuegwu), their back-up keeper Diego, and young striker Aaron Wheeler.

In a recent post re: the squad, I was right about Reda, and I guess no one paid heed to my words on Michael. With only one chance to play in the first team, a friend and I both thought he did well. It was against Cleveland, second to last in the league, but he acquitted himself well. If I recall correctly, Cleveland scored in the second half after he had been subbed off for Reda, and they scored on his side of the field, with Reda doing particularly poorly on the play.

Wheeler just joined the team at the end of August, so no great loss there. I don't have a clue how he was as a player. The 'Caps strike force is pretty strong even with the departure of Charles Gbeke: Haber and James to start, and Edwini-Bonsu off the bench. Dever Orgill and Alex Semenets are their two other forwards listed. Orgill looks promising. Semenets has scored three goals in four games for the Canadian U-20 team.

Behind the usually effective and highly popular Jay Nolly, Diego didn't get a chance in the first team this season. Simon Thomas is 19 and is 6'2" and played in Oak Bay.

Oh, and the team might not have a league next year. What I would give for a multi-tiered system in North America.

Whitecaps 2009 squad in review

So, we lost in the final to a hot team, fair enough. Not a great way to lose, but Montreal were on a tear, winning all six matches in the play-offs after finishing strongly. We also finished strongly (one loss in 15 games, or something like that), and while our squad leaked some goals, we also showed that we could play and beat anyone (except Montreal, that is).

Who made the biggest contribution last year? Who should we keep, and who should be released? The organization has just helped out on this front, releasing star striker Charles Gbeke and midfielders Lyle Martin and Vicente Arze. They also extended captain Martin Nash's contract, and are talking to 'keeper and team MVP Jay Nolly.

The team also has to think ahead to their move to the MLS in 2011, a move given a boost earlier today with the announcement that plans to build a new retractable roof on BC Place will go ahead. Who is good enough to make the step up*?

With Nash and (probably) Nolly, there are four other players under contract. Two wingers, Ansu Toure and Tyrell Burgess, central midfielder Kenold Versailles, and forward Marlon James, who is 32. James' scoring record was pretty phenomenal (one goal every 100 minutes), but he was constantly injured. Nash isn't getting any younger, but he's a rock in the midfield and deserves as much loyalty as Vancouver fans have shown Trevor Linden. Versailles is a workhorse but lacks some vision. Burgess was inconsistent this year; Toure was such a great find.

Young stars like Marcus Haber (USL Rookie of the Year), Wes Knight, and (my favourite) lightning-fast Randy Edwini-Bonsu should be signed as soon as possible.

Gordon Chin was a revelation in the middle of the park; we really missed his energy in the first game against Montreal, and he should be top of the list for Lenarduzzi. Winger Justin Moose should also be re-signed. Chris Pozniak can play at the back or in the middle, and provides stability off the bench.

At the back, Shaun Pejic impressed since coming over from York City in England. Local boy Luca Bellisimo was a mite inconsistent but did well in the last few games of the season. Takashi Hirano will turn 36 next year, but still has his speed. At times he's a liability, but he's also very dangerous going forward. With Knight, that's my starting backline. Michael impressed in the one game I saw him, and should be given more opportunities. Clearly we need subs for the two wide positions at the back, with Martin gone. I can't remember who filled in for Hirano at left-back.

And that leaves who could or should be let go: Marco Reda was a liability at the back. I'm not sure Mason Trafford brings enough to the table. Nizar Khalfan was inconsistent but showed some promise. I would give him another year, but the club might not.

The rest of the players in the first team I'm not too familiar with, to be honest. Thoughts?

* Is it really a big step up? See an analysis of the numbers here.

Whitecaps cut Gbeke?!

What? What?? USL's leading scorer, with 12 goals in the regular season. A fan favourite after scoring both of Vancouver's goals in last year's Championship win. He's 31, and isn't getting any faster, but surely he's still valuable to the club.

Earlier this year he was involved in an on-field bust-up with teammate Wesley Charles (since released), and then after this year's final loss to Montreal he was "misquoted" in a French newspaper complaining about not starting. I wonder if these incidents were a factor. And I will admit to not a little frustration with him at times, but he always pops up with a goal just when you dismiss his contribution to the game.

Also released were seldom used midfielder Vincente Arze and the speedy if seemingly lazy midfielder Lyle Martin. Arze impressed at the beginning of the season but was inconsistent. Martin, in my view, was at fault for the goal that Cleveland scored against us in the final game of the season, a goal that had no bearing on the season but did demonstrate to me his commitment to the game/team. Interestingly, after that game he was pushed back to right-back and Wes Knight was pushed forward to right mid.

New roof for BC Place

The province has just announced that BC Place will be getting a new roof:

VANCOUVER – A fixed-priced contract for the construction of a new, retractable roof on BC Place has been signed between the BC Pavilion Corporation (PavCo) and PCL Constructors Canada Inc, announced Kevin Krueger, Minister of Tourism Culture and the Arts and David Podmore, PavCo chair, today.

As first announced in May 2008, a new retractable roof will be built after the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The project will be completed by the summer of 2011, in time for the 2011 Grey Cup. The total capital cost for the retractable roof project will be $458 million. The final budget for the roof project is based on a competitive bidding process, including a fixed-price contract for construction with PCL, as well as engineering costs. An appropriate contingency fund has been allocated.

First thoughts: $458m? That's a lot more than was first quoted as the cost which was around $300m ($365m for roof and renovations). With the renovations that will be more than half a billion dollars. Wow.

Just saw this at the bottom of the backgrounder:

PavCo is committed to repaying the project costs through development of adjacent lands. The lands will be leased, not sold. The last undeveloped lands in the core of Vancouver are now those surrounding BC Place. They are highly desirable for commercial and residential use.

I guess housing and commercial properties will be a hot commodity again in a few years. That is, unless the Canadian housing market bubble bursts. You didn't think there was one anymore? Think again.

Full release is linked above, with backgrounder and contact info for a BC Place spokesperson and a "Senior Public Affairs Officer".