Gates Park project to cost $15 million, seat 1,200, and make PoCo ‘the premier sports city’ in B.C.

Rising costs haven’t brought down high spirits as Port Coquitlam council forges ahead on a FIFA-level soccer pitch, plaza and fieldhouse at Gates Park.

Besides swapping out the park’s frequently muddy grass field for synthetic turf, the $15-million project is set to include a grandstand, field lighting, a road along the south side of the park and parking.

The facility, “will put Port Coquitlam very much on the map as the premier sports city in this province,” Mayor Brad West said on Tuesday.

Coun. Steve Darling praised the design of the grandstand with capacity for 1,200 spectators.

“It feels like, in essence, the stadium is growing out of the field,” Darling said.

While it would be “a little crazy” to suppose Port Coquitlam will host a 2026 World Cup match, Gates Park could be the site of some sort of World Cup event, Darling said.

“We want this facility to have an opportunity to try and get some real World Cup action here,” he said.

Working with the PoCo Sports Alliance, B.C. Soccer and Canada Soccer, the city plans to try to bring an event to Port Coquitlam during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, city staff confirmed.

Top-of-the-line facilities are essential for keeping Port Coquitlam athletes in the city, Darling said, adding that the field should also be a boon to baseball and lacrosse.

“This is going to be a community stadium,” he said.

Equipped with an outdoor sound system as well as enough power for a line of food trucks, Gates Park could also be a venue for festivals and shows, Coun. Paige Petriw noted.

“This would be a perfect venue for the B.C. Highland Games some year,” Coun. Nancy McCurrach agreed.

The B.C. Highland Games have recently been held in Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park.

Cost

The project was initially pegged to cost $11.4 million. However, that estimate has been bumped up to $15 million, “largely due to construction inflation,” explained the city’s director of engineering and public works Joshua Frederick in an email to the Dispatch.

The field house, which includes public washrooms as well as storage space and a meeting area, is expected to cost $7 million.

The three turf field replacements, including a warm-up area, are expected to cost $3.5 million.

The city is slated to pay about $6 million for the project with the province chipping in the lion’s share, approximately $9 million.

Following a request for proposals in a few months, construction is tentatively set to begin in 2024 and wrap up in 2025.

While more design work is needed, city will “make every effort to keep the field open during construction,” according to Frederick.

“There’s no resolution other than get it done,” West told staff.