By Brian Hayward
The 2010 stadium in North End will soon be the new playground for Nelson Mandela Bay sports enthusiasts who have until now had to make do with the city‘s beachfront for many of their sporting activities.
But rather than the stadium itself being the major attraction, it‘s what‘s going up around the stadium that has sports fanatics enthralled.
Not only will the North End Lake which adjoins the stadium have its water quality upgraded, making it a big attraction for paddlers and canoeists, but a cycle and running track - arising from the need to erect the stadium‘s roof from the outside rather than from within - will be sure to draw hordes of sportsmen and women.
A massive cement path has been constructed around the stadium after the time frame for the construction of the state-of-the-art roof clashed with the placement of the soccer pitch, which has been cultivated on a Greenbushes farm and which was laid this week.
“Originally the roof was set to be installed from within the stadium, but because the pitch will be in, it had to be done from the outside,” explained Bay World Cup executive director Errol Heynes. “In some places the cement path is 1,5m deep to support the massive crane which lifts the roof girders into place.”
Explaining the decision to convert the path into a cycle and running track, Heynes said: “We thought of how it could best serve the community.”
Heynes said the paths were within the municipality‘s plan to make the area surrounding the stadium “a whole new leisure and entertainment precinct for the Bay”.
The paths are due for completion in mid-2009.
“This will be open to the community with the hope it will bring further development for the area,” Heynes said. Bay sports events organiser Michael Zoetmulder said:
“The North End Lake is one of the best watersports facilities in the province and if the Bay was able to improve the water quality, we would definitely host national and international water sport events there.
“The lake would be the ideal venue for international open water swimming events.”
Source: Weekend Post
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge
