Potential builders of turf facility to submit proposals to city

Thunder Bay's proposed turf facility is one step closer to being built as three shortlisted companies prepare proposals for the potential facility. 

Three teams have been selected to develop designs and cost estimates, which will be due by the end of February 2025, the City said in a release Wednesday. 

A winner will be selected by scoring the offers based on multiple factors including cost, amenities and design quality, said Kelvin Jankowski, the manager of capital facilities construction.

The most important factor is keeping costs low, he said, but it's not the only consideration. 

"There will be potentially design enhancements that the design build team may bring forward, different configurations that we've not seen before that may increase efficiency and reduce costs or increase the aesthetic appeal of the  building. And then those are all weighted," said Jankowski

Jankowski says the only limitation on the design proposals is they can't exceed the budget. Council has approved a total project budget of just over $38 million dollars. The budget doesn't include the extra $4.3 to 4.7 million provision for site development/ancillary work and all other discretionary items.

Construction could begin by the summer. The city is aiming to complete the turf facility in fall 2026.

Soccer Northwest Ontario president Mike Veneziale said local sports groups have been eagerly awaiting the new facility for a long time.

While soccer players make up a large per cent of the potential users, groups representing sports like ultimate frisbee, minor football, touch football and others are also involved, said Veneziale. 

"We're excited to see what comes forward," he said. 

Veneziale said he hopes to see the proposed designs include a quality turf field as well as an appropriate amount of change rooms and seating. 

He said he hopes the facility development will be finished according to the proposed timeline-- if delayed by multiple months, athletes won't be able to use it in winter 2026. 

"You don't want to open an indoor turf facility in the summer time. You want to open it up and have this thing up and running for its most optimal time to to make money off of it," Veneziale said.