What's up with the Colosseum?

* click the pictures to look at the latest drawings for the Colosseum renovations. These are not finalized just the newest ones presented to City Council.


City Council spoke briefly last night on the renovations that are planned for the Colosseum this spring. I thought I would fill some people in with where things stand at the moment. On Friday, January 4, 2008 Facilities Maintenence Manager Button,
Manager of Community Development Mulhall, Director Bourassa, Councillor Michel and various consultants met for a final consultation before proceeding to tender drawings for the Colosseum.

Tender drawings should be finalized by March 1, 2008, striving for Council consideration on March 24. Tender will be split into two prices - Phase 3 South Side and Phase 4 Colosseum Lobby with the possibility of both proceeding. The estimated completion date for both phases is December 2008.

The biggest change that I heard was the fact that it has been suggested that they demolish the current lobby rather than retrofit it. The report estimated that it would take approximately one month less to start from scratch and build a new lobby shell along with the proposed new additions on all three sides.

* The following are words from Bearden Engineering Consultants Ltd. regarding the existing front lobby shell for the Weyburn Colosseum. After our meeting last Friday on January 4 we had the opportunity to look more closely at the existing lobby roof structure. We then realized that the existing sloped glu-lam wood beams which support the 2 x 12 wood purlins at 5 ft. on centre, in turn support the wood deck and are all not suitable for reuse very practically due to the fact that;

1) The roof wood beams and whole roof system slopes from the west to the east 8” (drops 8” to the east).

2) The wood roof deck is also under-strength when the space above would be converted into a floor with a uniform live load of 100 psf.

3) The wood 2 x 12 purlins at 5’ on centre are also under-strength for supporting the proposed floor live load of 100 psf.

4) The glu-lam beams are also under-strength and would require new centre steel columns and new footings.

5) The entire lobby roof system is also of combustible construction which is not suitable for supporting the proposed new construction above which is all to be of non-combustible construction according to the National Building Code 2005.

Given the fact that we are now proposing to build new additions on all sides and of non-combustible construction. ie. on the south side, the east side and also the north side of this lobby it is now apparent that re-using the existing sloped, under-strength wood roof system is not advisable and not practical.

- By Troy Kramm