$300K project underway to add locked doors to outdoor Gardens stairways

A retrofit of the southeast and southwest stairwells of the GFL Memorial Gardens is underway at an estimated cost of almost $300,000.

Earlier this year, a contract was awarded to S&T Electrical Contractors, Inc. for a total of $293,143. The project will add locked doors to fully close off the two corner staircases that are currently partially enclosed.

Those new locked doors will prevent people from loitering around the stairwells on that end of the arena — but not the east-end stairwell, where last month a person was found unresponsive and died.

In an article last month, Ward 2 councillor Lisa Vezeau-Allen told SooToday that city staff has been taking the lead on securing the staircases.

"They have staff monitoring this area as folks have been gathering at this location," said Vezeau-Allen at the time.

Robert Santa Maria, manager of GFL Memorial Gardens, said the construction is expected to be complete prior to the first regular season Soo Greyhounds game, scheduled for Sept. 29. Some delays in the delivery of materials has pushed the project back from its initial completion date, originally scheduled for earlier in the summer.

"Both stairwell areas and both ground level areas will be enclosed while still allowing exiting from the building as per building requirements," said Santa Maria in an email on Wednesday.

The $293,143 project was approved in February by city council.