Field renovations at the St. Albert Rugby Football Club (SARFC) have suffered a delay and will not be ready to open this Saturday as originally planned.
The fields, which were rated among the best in the country before they were torn up, have been closed since August 2012 for reclamation and redevelopment.
“There are still issues with the grass and the irrigation and fertilizer systems as well as some drainage issues,” said SARFC ground’s director Doug Krempien. “The fields won’t be opening until at least August 1 and that (date) isn’t for sure.”
The SARFC will continue using Alpine field as a training pitch until the redevelopment is done.
“We won’t have access to the fields until such time as the city has decided that the contractor has fulfilled all the obligations of the contract,” said Krempien.
The grand reopening of the fields was originally scheduled for June 28 but was pushed back to July 12 after some delays.
“In fairness to (the contractor) Wilco, their contract states that the fields don’t have to be completed until August 1, 2014,” said Krempien.
SARFC president Matt Herod told the St. Albert Gazette in April that he was excited to play on the new fields after being away for all of last year.
“It was just a weird year. You’re travelling to go to training, you’re travelling for every game and there was no real home base for us. There was no comfort of walking into our dressing rooms knowing that we’re playing in front of our fans,” said Herod.
The reopening has been tentatively rescheduled for sometime in August but is not yet confirmed.
