The Swilers Rugby Club wants the main field at their complex in St. John’s to be capable of handling the highest level of competition. At the same time, the city needs to repair a storm sewer running through the site.
To avoid the club improving the field only to have it torn up again, the City of St. John’s has agreed to move its storm sewer project up, to see it completed sooner. Council voted Monday night in favour of funding the project.
An assessment, undertaken when the club put forward the plans to upgrade the field, found a buried manhole in the area that must be raised, a hole in the top of the pipe running in the middle of the main field needs repair, and a hole in a pipe just west of the main field also needs to be fixed.
The total cost is estimated at $95,000.
Swilers has contracted Marco to rebuild the field, and indicated to the city everything can be done as part of their project this year.
The city, in turn, has agreed to pay all costs falling under its responsibility (an investigation involving liability is ongoing into one of the storm sewer issues, but the city expects to spend $45,000 to $90,000 on the project).