By Kelli Gustafson – RogersPlace.com
The rink boards are up and the glass is in place as Rogers Place eagerly awaits to open its doors to Oil Country this September. Looking at the Rogers Place live view camera, you can see protective sheets of blue and white plastic covering the thousands of seats and Loge tables already installed inside the new arena.
“It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.”
Like a wrapped gift on Christmas morning, the full experience of Rogers Place — the immaculate sights, the heart-pounding sounds, the delicious, mouth-watering taste and smells — will not fully be revealed to the fans until they are able to see it first hand at the public open house this September.
“It’s going to be a really exciting day,” Bob Black, Chief Project Development Officer of Oilers Entertainment Group, said.
“It’s going to be a completely different experience. That day, people will really see what a great building this is.”
Although we can give you a sneak peek at the food and beverage offerings at Rogers Place, or attempt to describe how awe-inspiring Alex Janvier’s art installation inside the Winter Garden really will be, fans will have to simply wait until September to fully understand just how incredible this world-class facility truly is.
With the September 10 Public Open House just around the corner, new milestones in the construction of Rogers Place continue to be reached.
Since breaking ground in March 2014, many exciting milestones have already been met for Rogers Place.
Approximately 7 months ago, the very first pizza oven was installed inside Rogers Place. This month, the first beer taps are being installed on the Mezzanine level, retractable seating is being put in place, exterior signage is being installed, landscaping has began and the Oilers dressing room door is being assembled.
Mike Widdifield, Senior Project Manager for PCL, said, “it’s hard not to walk around like a fan.”
“With the letters going up, you can really start to see the building look like it does in the renderings.” He added, “it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.”
Widdifield revealed that some of the upcoming milestones still to come for this incredible project include testing the scoreboard, installing exterior LED boards, completing millwork and finishes on all levels, and beginning to cool the ice slabs in preparation to build the ice.
“You really get a sense of what the players are going to look like when they’re playing hockey,” Widdifield added while looking down at the newly unwrapped scoreboard and into the lower bowl from the main concourse.
“As we get more finished and you’re able to — inside the building — connect to those renderings that we’ve all seen. It becomes very exciting and you can really get a sense for how everything’s coming together.”
Even with more than 12 weeks to go before the public open house, Widdifield says you can already get a sense of how it will feel in September.
“You can walk around the concourse and feel like what it’s going to feel like as a fan.”