[Daveography]

@RoyGBiv Welcome to the forum!

 

[Daveography]

Accessibility Advisory Committee championed inclusive downtown arena

If you haven’t noticed, there is a shiny new arena that is now part of the skyline of Edmonton that goes by the name of Rogers Place. The past few months have been quite busy for the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC). We had been working hard to finalize details, touring the iconic arena and working with the media, The City of Edmonton and the Oilers Entertainment Group to highlight just how accessible Rogers Place is. Needless to say, it has been a tremendous experience. But what most people do not realize is that we had been putting in countless hours of hard work for the past four years on Rogers Place. We were approached and consulted with very early in the project as we all knew that this was a great opportunity to ensure our knowledge could be incorporated and implemented into a our new downtown arena to create an accessible and inclusive facility for all Edmontonians.

So what exactly did we work on? The short answer, darn near everything! The more detailed answer: stairways, ramp signage, washrooms, spectator seating areas, player benches on ice level, elevators, countertops, hearing loop devices and the drop off area for the Disabled Adults Transit Service on the north side of 104 Ave. That is just to name a few.


Zachary Weeks, Accessibility Advisory Committee Vice Chair

The experience was indeed a once in a lifetime opportunity. On the project as a whole, it was a very positive experience and a true pleasure to work with everyone involved, particularly the City of Edmonton staff, Oilers Entertainment Group and of course stakeholders in the disability community. We are excited to continue building this momentum and hard work to ensure that we are advised on all major city projects. We encourage developers and the City to continue working with the AAC to ensure that Edmonton is a city of inclusion. That means a city that can be accessed by all members of the public including those with disabilities, and our seniors. Stay in touch with us by seeking out our Accessibility Advisory Committee Facebook page and Twitter account @aacyeg.


The Accessibility Advisory Committee took a tour of the new Roger’s Place the first week it opened.

http://transformingedmonton.ca/accessibility-advisory-committee-championed-inclusive-downtown-arena/

 

[Hilman]

 

[Hilman]

19 HOT DINING SPOTS NEAR ICE DISTRICT
Posted March 1, 2017 by Matthew Stepanic

In search of a fine-dining spot to improve on a special evening out at Rogers Place? Want to celebrate after an epic Oilers’ win or rehash an incredible pop-star performance? These downtown dining destinations will serve you everything from a memorable meal to late-night entertainment!

https://www.infoedmonton.com/article/19-hot-dining-spots-near-ice-district/

 

[Daveography]

Finally got to see a game here, and see the place in action. Wasn't disappointed, the place is very cool. Food and beer are too expensive, though, but that's become the standard these days.

 

[Hilman]

THE FLIP
Between Oilers games and Oil Kings games alone, there is a live event taking place at Rogers Place nearly every-other night of the week. With concerts on top of what can already be described as a tight schedule, Rogers Place has seen more than one million fans pass through its doors after opening a mere six months ago.

From ingress and egress, traffic, parking, fire code and safety regulations, to replacing a burnt-out lightbulb or fixing a broken chair, there are a lot of issues - both big and small - that must be monitored in and around the building on any given day. Furthermore, for each event that takes place at the new home of the orange and blue faithful, extensive planning and preparation must be conducted.

Parsons described the months of planning that went into the coordination of the nine Garth Brooks shows that were held at Rogers Place, over the course of only six days, as being all-encompassing.

"There was a lot of planning, lots of spreadsheets, lots of meetings and assigning responsibility, but also an 'all-hands-on-deck' approach," she said.

Although NHL and WHL game days are conducted in a similar fashion as any other live event held at Rogers Place, some key differences go into organizing a concert. The first big difference being the ice - or lack thereof.

"The first thing we do is cover the ice," said Rogers Place Operations and Maintenance Manager, Kyle Lamkey.

Using fiberglass boards to insulate and ensure the NHL quality-ice is maintained, with refrigeration from below, the ice surface is completely covered in just under 75 minutes.

"While they're putting the floor in, we can take away the retractable seating," explained Rogers Place Event Manager, Andrea Carroll Papirny.

With more than 16 years of experience in the Live Entertainment industry guiding her, Papirny stresses the importance of planning and utilizing time wisely.

In the case of Garth Brooks, the tour was expected to arrive a few short hours after the Oilers-Flyers game was wrapping up on the night of Thursday, February 16.

"There are lots of moving parts. There's the conversions crew, the housekeeping crew, and the food and beverage team," said Papirny. "Typically we allot six hours to convert from the ice to concert mode."

https://www.nhl.com/oilers/indepth/all-hands-on-deck

 

[Daveography]

More than 4,300 kegs tapped at Rogers Place in first 6 months
Wednesday marked the six-month anniversary of the opening of Rogers Place, downtown Edmonton’s new arena and home of the Edmonton Oilers.

The arena opened its doors to much fanfare on Sept. 8, 2016, after years of debate and construction.

Country superstar Keith Urban was the first performer to hit the stage for a concert at the arena, although there was a top secret concert held weeks earlier as a way to test the facility’s lights, sound and stage.

Since then, Rogers Place has played host to dozens of live events, hockey games and other community and corporate events. Here’s a closer look, by the numbers:

Full Article: http://globalnews.ca/news/3296872/more-than-4300-kegs-tapped-at-rogers-place-in-first-6-months/

 

[Hilman]

 

[Daveography]

Upcoming lane closures adjacent to Rogers Place

March 9, 2017

Various lane closures on the roads adjacent to Rogers Place will occur to facilitate the replacement of nine exhaust fans located on the roof.

This work is scheduled to begin the week of March 20 with the timing and specific details of the lane closures will be announced closer to the start of the replacement. It is anticipated the work will take three or four days to complete.

The exhaust fans have experienced component failures and the replacement work will be managed within the overall project.

Media contact:
Charity Dyke
Communications Manager
City of Edmonton
780-496-8196

 

[Daveography]

Of course the news headlines and Twitter pundits are all over this, even though deficiencies are always part of new construction, especially in unique and cutting-edge buildings. Journal didn't even mention the cost is covered as part of the construction project.

Rogers Place needs fixing six months after opening

Rogers Place has some fan woes, will have to replace nine faulty units

 

[Hilman]

Not a surprise, haters gonna hate.

 

[quit]

Perhaps, the ice will get better after this? Tmac made a sarcastic comment about the ice not being the best a while back in a media avail.

 

[Hilman]

 

[quit]

Of course the news headlines and Twitter pundits are all over this, even though deficiencies are always part of new construction, especially in unique and cutting-edge buildings. Journal didn't even mention the cost is covered as part of the construction project.

Rogers Place needs fixing six months after opening

Rogers Place has some fan woes, will have to replace nine faulty units

I forgot to reply to this. There is probably some valid commentary here. Hell, the media didn't even bring up that one of the fans had fallen off the roof previously onto the neighbouring construction site (thankfully no one was injured). Only after were the rest braced and that one fixed. I don't think it would be related, but it didn't get much press coverage when it happened, even though it was a much more dangerous situation - it was at the very least negligent if not gross negligence. They are mostly lucky that no one was hurt and that it occurred during construction. I love the new arena, I truly do, but it hasn't all been perfect sailing and people seem to forget that anytime anyone criticizes this project. There can always be improvements to anything in the project management industry and criticism is a key component of that designation. It is too bad that some people online fail to make that correlation and read it as a personal attack on them or the City of Edmonton. I personally think it is good for the media to report the good, but also report deficiencies far and wide, so that people are held accountable when things go wrong and that they don't happen again in the future. If you get away with something shady and no one holds you accountable whatsoever, you're probably going to keep doing it until you are caught.

Sorry for the long rant, but I've noticed this on several sites where both this project and the Ice District as a whole can simply do no wrong it seems. There is always room for improvement and to do things better.

 

[Daveography]

@westcoastjos Fair enough, and I admit I do get a bit defensive. Generally it is because I do feel there is a large contingent of people out there who do want to try to point out every failing, big or small, and wrap them up together into a narrative that the whole endeavor has been a failure.