Shovels are officially in the ground to prepare for the future Lancer Sport and Recreation Centre.

Construction crews will be hard at work around the St. Denis Athletic and Community Centre starting Monday, Oct. 22 and lasting until the new year for the first phase of the project.

The preparatory work includes two mini-projects: 1) the exterior project will see the replacement of the existing water and sewer mains, a project being done in cooperation with the City of Windsor; 2) the interior project will see the installation of a new roof, new HVAC units, and LED lighting inside the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse. The mini-projects will be completed prior to the main LSRC project anticipated to start in Summer 2019.

Watermains stretching from College Avenue to the south end of the University of Windsor property abutting Assumption High School will be removed and replaced with a new water main running along the edge of the UWindsor property.

“The entire LSRC project will see a $73-million investment in the sports and recreation facilities at the University of Windsor,” said Athletic Director Mike Havey, adding the project is possible through the generous contribution of our students.

“There are some growing pains and some disruptions associated with this, but we’re hoping people can be patient and recognize that at the end of the three-year time period we’re going to have a great and wonderful facility for our students and the entire University community that we can all be proud of.”

Havey said work continues on the interior as part of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Project.

A grant of $4.5 million from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities will go towards replacing six HVAC units and replacing all fluorescent lighting within the Dennis Fairall Fieldhouse.

The GGRP is expected to be completed by April 2019.

Havey said the exterior project will cause the parking lot on the east side of the St. Denis Centre to be closed from Oct. 22 to December. College Avenue will be temporarily closed at the beginning of the project and towards the end of the project for water main work.

Pedestrian access to the east entrance of the St. Denis Centre will be maintained throughout the project.

For more information about the project, visit www.uwindsor.ca/campustransformation.