Posted: October 15, 2004

Athletics: Ottawa Indoor Track Update

Winter is coming! and so is the new indoor track at Louis Riel High School in Blackburn Hamlet.

The Runner's Web touched base with Jacques Lortie who will be managing the operation of the new facility.

He reports that "construction tenders were received and a qualified main builder has been selected. The Dome construction recommendations/report will be presented for adoption to the Board's council early next week. "

"The Dome is to be built where the existing stone dust track and main sports field are located (at the back of the school). The construction schedule is still the same with the construction beginning at the end of October and the completion forecast being the end of January. The dome structure has been reserved and it is scheduled for delivery in mid December."

"If there are no delays in the construction and if the weather cooperates, the Dome will be in operation in February."

The facility will be the only indoor 400M track in North America.

Currently the Rutgers Indoor Practice and Conditioning Facility in New Brunswick, New Jersey, more commonly referred to as "the Bubble," is the country's (USA) largest air-supported indoor structure. The Bubble, which allows several University athletic teams to train and hold practice sessions throughout the winter, is a 430 by 230 foot structure that climbs 80 feet into the air at its highest point