Walls are going up at the Southeast Event Centre construction site

Walls are finally going up as Southeast Event Centre construction rolls along. 

Jeffrey Bannon is the General Manager for the Southeast Events Group. Up until this point, he notes most of the work has been foundational, with all of the piles going in for the entire complex and a lot of ground level concrete being poured as well.  

“The cool thing is, all of the utilities and electrical and all of the plumbing is actually done underneath the arena and they are starting to pour the arena floor. It is starting to take shape. Now you are seeing scaffolding going up along Hanover, so you are starting to see more walls. It is starting to look more like a construction site where we can actually see physical progress.” 

Bannon says it took a little longer than expected for the walls to start going up as a result of an unexpected issue with the frost line. That said, now that the above-ground construction has begun, he notes we are going to see the building take shape very quickly.  

Scaffolding can be seen along Hanover Street

Looking toward fall and winter, Bannon says it is very important that the facility can be closed in before snow flies.  

“It's a must. I look at the weather more now, the long-term forecast. Graham Construction is pretty confident that orange tarps are going to be up by Halloween and then they can start to get inside with heaters and everything they need to do. We are still on track, everything is a go. Two thumbs up as of now and we just hope for nice weather.” 

At this point, Bannon says he has been assured that the project is still expected to be completed next fall as expected. 

In the meantime, there has been plenty of work happening behind the scenes. For example, Bannon says “The most exciting part is that we actually did a menu tasting a couple of weeks ago for the restaurant.” He adds “I think the City of Steinbach and the region is going to be very impressed with what we have to offer because it is completely different, it is new.” 

Bannon notes it will be a full restaurant that will be open every day. He says they will have 40 indoor seats and a patio in a gorgeous space.  

In addition to all of that, Bannon says he is also preparing to book events and live shows in the new facility and working with the Pistons as they prepare to move in next year.

Take a look at a short time-lapse of recent construction progress below.

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