The future of sports and athletics at the University of Toronto was unveiled Monday, as plans for a new Varsity Stadium and athletic centre were presented at a SAC townhall meeting. The new Varsity facility, whose construction could begin by April 2006, would include a regulation field with an artificial surface, an 8-lane track, a new three-storey athletics facility and seating space for up to 5, 000 spectators.

The tentative price tag of the project is $54-58 million Canadian.

Plans are also afoot to include a special enclosing “bubble,” which would cover the field in the winter and permit year-round use.

Ron Venter, Vice-Provost (Space and Facilities Planning), spoke on behalf of the Governing Council’s Project Planning Committee, saying that the purpose of the town hall meeting was to solicit input from students and the community about the plan. Venter hoped that the community would be satisfied that the university “has a plan with enough momentum to move forward, and has visibility,” and that by providing a real, albeit tentative, timetable, the new Varsity facility can move one step closer to becoming a reality.

Once complete, the new facility would “address the needs of the university community, enhance learning beyond the classroom in health and physical education, and enhance the academic programs, both teaching and research, in the Faculty of Physical Education and Health,” Venter told the assembled crowd.

Once the project planning report is finalized in March, and if Governing Council approves it in June, the project will proceed in four phases. The first phase would see the construction of seating, facilities, lighting, and the foundation of the environmental “bubble.” The remaining three phases will involve erection of the bubble, improvement of electrical infrastructure, renovation of the existing Varsity Arena and construction of the new Athletic Centre itself.

On the subject of funding the construction project, Venter insisted that there would be “no assumption of capital funding from student levies” for the first phase of development, and that the University would contribute $14 million toward its completion.

The remaining phases, however, costing around $ 40 million, would be financed through “fundraising” which, Venter hoped, would not be too long in coming once the project is in full swing: “We could convince a lot of people to help put the money together if there is progress already…with as much momentum as possible to get our alumni friends enthused,” he said, adding that the second phase of construction could begin in April 2007, provided that all the necessary funds are in place.

Student opinion on the proposed facility remains divided, however, and the town hall meeting proved no exception.

Student Oriel Varga raised the issue of the increasing lack of study space and other student facilities on campus: “Students pay a lot of tuition already. Is it guaranteed that there will be all the things that students need?”

Another student, Andrew Pinto, asked if the university could devote more of its borrowing capacity toward other student projects, rather than relying on increased student levies: “The amount we can borrow is shrinking. We should speak up to get the university to use the amount we have left for student space. The [Varsity Field] is student space, but there are a lot of other needs.”

On the other hand, Aaron Merkle, a football player at U of T who feels the project to be worthwhile, highlighting the fact that approximately 700 student athletes are students as well.

“Student athletes make sacrifices with very little in return from the university, although that’s changing now,” he said. “Right now there is just no stadium. At least some student space already exists.”

Howard Tam, Vice-President of SAC, said that SAC was generally supportive of the project, and that it was the best proposal the university had come forward with so far.

“The original plan was to lease the site for 90 years, with no stadium,” he said. “But that was reversed by the Governing Council.” While he agreed that there was certainly a need for housing, parking, event space, and others, the new Varsity project would definitely contribute to a “more vibrant student experience”