City to Likely Approve Toronto FC's Bid for Grass Field

• Toronto Star, Wednesday, September 30, 2009 4:30 PM

TFC owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment has proposed a $5.5 million project to replace BMO Field's much-maligned artificial turf with grass. This week the Toronto city council is expected to approve the proposal. "We're confident that it's going to go through," MLSE executive Bob Hunter said of the plan. "It would be pretty tough for people to argue it isn't a good deal for the community."

As part of the proposal, completely funded by MLSE, the city's Lamport Stadium and Lakeshore Collegiate Institute will receive face-lifts to make them more publicly accessible throughout the year. A bubble will be constructed over Lamport Stadium, and LCI will roll out new artificial turf. Such measures will more than offset the loss of public use that BMO will suffer by putting in natural grass.

Joe Pantalone, the chair of Exhibition Place, the mixed-use property that houses BMO Field, said three weeks ago that the proposal was a "no brainer" and "a good thing to do for everybody."

 

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