Dickson Park grandstand restoration comes with $1.5M price tag

The cost of restoring the grandstand in Dickson Park has a preliminary price tag of $1.5 million.

City staff will be looking for approval for a heritage permit and support from council for the Dickson Park grandstand restoration project in the 2023 capital budget.

Public delegations on the city budget are set for Feb. 9 and budget deliberations Feb. 16 and Feb. 21

The scope of the work, which includes roof replacement, steel framing, painting, wood bleacher replacement where necessary, retaining walls, perimeter wall elastometric coating and railings was determined after the design phase of the project was completed at a previously approved budget of $95,000.

While some maintenance was performed in 1997, many of the grandstands original features that date back to its construction in 1919 have been found to be structurally compromised and are in need of repair.

Staff from building design and construction had requested approval to do the work on Oct. 12, 2022.

In order to complete the work the city will need to obtain a heritage permit and there needs to be an alteration to Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. The structure was designated under the act in 2005 as part of the Dickson Hill Heritage Conservation District. 

The report being submitted found both heritage staff and the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee agree the alterations are in line with routine maintenance that is necessary for prolonging the use of the grandstand.

The city is seeking a timeline extension that will ensure alterations are made by Nov. 30, 2026, a two-year addition on what the MHAC had approved.

“The city undertakes assessments of its facility assets and plans for capital repair and replacement as part of its commitment to the public value of sustainability,” Slobodanka Lekic, manager of building design and construction told CambridgeToday in September while plans were still int he design phase.

“It is our intent that these facility assets, especially those which hold cultural heritage significance, such as this structure, are maintained and operated for future generations.”

Under the Dickson Hill Heritage Conservation District Plan any major future improvements to the grandstand shall be based on the period circa 1871 that will enhance its sense of history and landscape. 

“As a key attribute of Dickson Park, the renewal of the Dickson Stadium contributes to the city’s strategic plan objective of ‘placemaking,’ and our commitment to being good stewards of our parks as part of the green spaces objective,” Lekic said.