With an average temperature of 15 degrees this week, it’s evident why Vancouver Island has become one of Canada’s most popular vacation areas.  The cherry trees are in full bloom, the spring flowers are blooming and the annual flower count in Victoria will once again make everyone east of British Columbia envious of our early Spring climates.
This week was a big week at the Circuit and with literally hundreds of tradesman on-site, it leaves us wondering if there are any left working elsewhere on Vancouver Island.
Interestingly enough, a team of specialists from Edmonton were brought in to drill under the Lake Cowichan Highway, which in turn, allowed us to bring the 20-inch main water pipe towards the property.  The city water supply was not part of our initial plan, but the incredible team at the District of North Cowichan has made this all possible in record time and without a lot of red tape. We would especially like to thank Dave Devana, Scott Mack, David Conway, Mark Ruttan and Nancy Tates from the District for their extremely professional and efficient service. It is not common that a community welcomes a construction project with as much energy and enthusiasm as the District of North Cowichan has.  Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this wonderful community.
The run off areas around the Circuit are now ready for paving on Monday. The parking area for buses, car transporters, team tracks as well as passenger cars are now being graded and prepped for paving.  Up until last week, the parking areas were used for storm water runoff lakes and filtration systems to ensure the construction dirt does not leak into the local streams or creeks.
Our permanent storm water reservoir is now in place and will feature a beautiful little lake on the south side of the property. This gives us another opportunity to set ourselves apart from the dust bowl appearance so many other tracks have as a result of their location and surroundings.
The drainage and water collection is close to completion and our main water pipe installation is coming along as planed. The scope of a simple detail like this is amazing, as we had to build a road at the same time from our property along Drinkwater Road to the highway. In the future, this will be used to access our Clubhouse in phase two and the additional parts of our “Disneyland for Motorsport Enthusiasts”.
In the Clubhouse, we have also made tremendous progress. The second floor is painted, the floor tiles have been placed, and the process to install the glazing between the three meeting rooms and the Clubhouse has started. The outside cladding and the observation deck is now close to completion, as are the washrooms and the bar.
The race control room is now ready for furniture and equipment while the light fixtures are being hung in the Club Lounge and various other rooms upstairs.
The downstairs is progressing in a similar pace. The washrooms and locker rooms are underway, the presentation room is being tiled and the painters are close to completion. The pit garages are ready for our first event in April and the commercial kitchen for the Paddock Restaurant is prepared for the equipment arrival in the second part of March.
As you have seen in an earlier post, our first major event is lined up with a few to follow soon after. The energy surrounding this project is so positive and the momentum is so big, that we can’t wait to start operations.
On the operation side, progress has been made everywhere. Our Manager of Operations, Brent Evans, visited various track facilities in Nevada and California this week. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to Peter Baljet for arranging our visit to Spring Mountain and for all that he does to help us at the Circuit.

The trades and sub trades to highlight for this week are:

Triple T Excavating – Preparing for waterline installation, building the water pond at the highway and completing all the drainage around the facility. Thank you to Rick Tomlinson and his team for their countless hours on site 7 days a week to ensure we make the finish line.
Canadian Utilities – Drilled for the main water line under the highway.
Gordon N’ Gordon – Interior drywall and suspended ceiling
Mazzei Electric – All electrical installations
Corix Water Products – All piping for fresh water and drainage.
James E. Irwin Architect – Lead architect
Tyler Mechanical – Installation of all plumbing, propane and gas lines.
Island Concrete Finishing – Installation of sidewalks and concrete.
Island Paving – Track and parking paving, all fine grading as well using their grading equipment.
Top-Line Roofing – Exterior cladding on the Clubhouse
Apex Landscaping – All landscaping surrounding the property.
Lewis Sheet Metal – All heating and ventilation in the Clubhouse, including the kitchen ductwork and exhaust fans.
Rutland Glass – Interior and exterior glazing.
Secure Co – Will be installing the security system.
Richmond Elevator – Clubhouse elevator and dumbwaiter.
E&K Painting – Interior and exterior painting.
Go Green Insulation – Completed the spray foam insulation above the soffits.
Island Floor Centre – Installing tile throughout the Clubhouse.
And of course, Chris Erb, Brent Brownsell, Trevor and Joel of SupErb Construction. Thank you for your organized and energetic push to ensure the project moves forward each and everyday.
Thank you to every person and every company who has helped to make this possible and for bringing the Circuit to life. This is an amazing project for both you and us and we would like you to know that we could not be where we are without you and your efforts.
Sincerely
The teams at the GAIN Dealer Group and the Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit.