A sneak peek of the new running track at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops. (Photo via Jeff Putnam)
The City of Kamloops says the Hillside Stadium track will reopen to the public a month ahead of schedule next Monday, August 21.
Work to replace the current polyurethane track with a higher-grade Mondotrack began in June with an initial completion date of Sept. 15.
“Residents and user groups, including the Kamloops Broncos and TRU Men’s Soccer Team, will regain use of Hillside Stadium, and track users will enjoy a new, world-class Mondotrack surface, which replaced the outdated polyurethane track,” Business Operations and Events Supervisor, Sean Smith, said.
“While the project is essentially complete, a short-term stadium closure will be required in early fall to allow lane lines to be painted.”
Rivers FC, the Kamloops-based League 1 BC team, played five of their seven home games at McArthur Island due to the renovations at Hillside Stadium.
The TRU WolfPack women’s soccer team is scheduled to play its home opener against Mount Royal University on August 25, one week before the men’s team plays their home opener against the University of Victoria on September 1.
The Kamloops Broncos are scheduled to host the Okanagan Sun in their first home game on September 16, after five straight road games to begin their season.
It is not clear how much it cost to replace the track at Hillside Stadium. In June, City Council approved a $750,000 increase to the initial $2.18 million budget.
This track replacement comes after new turf was installed at Hillside Stadium in the summer of 2020. The plan was to replace both the turf and the track at the same time three years ago, before City Council deferred the track replacement work due to uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smith says the Tournament Capital Centre Fieldhouse will remain closed until August 24 while the Canada Games Aquatic Centre will also be closed until September 4 for annual maintenance.
The City says people can use the Sandman Centre concourse as a walking track on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 9:00 a.m. and 12 noon.
Those hoping to go swimming are being directed to either the Brock Outdoor Pool or Westsyde Pool and Fitness Centre.
