Raise the Hammer

Okay, so where I don't have my facts straight, please let me know. The Velodrome and the community centre within the Velodrome were already in the plan (that's what I read in a May 2009 Spec article). So, no news from today's Ticat announcement there.

The Ticats have "partnered" with Live Nation? What does that mean? Is Live Nation committing money? Guaranteeing shows? I saw the word "consulting" jump out at me - I don't see a financial commitment in that word. 20-25 shows a year? Really? Live Nation shows? From May through September? Holy crap. That's a lot of shows; Hamilton Place (2200 capacity) shows 15 shows online, including theatre, from July to December. Was HECFI consulted on the need for this amphitheatre? I truly LOVE the idea...but I'd like Stone Temple Pilots to play at my backyard BBQ, too. The Ticats tell us that the amphitheatre could also be used for "community programming, with suggestions made for concerts of the week, local theatre, church choir performances, high school graduations and an array of other community uses." How about Adopt-A-Puppy shows, too? Sorry for the sarcasm; wait, no, I'm not...

$5000-$7000 to build the Velodrome and Amphitheatre? Get real. Velodrome $12 million, remediation...I dont'know...did I read $3 million somewhere? Amphitheatre...I don't know...$15 million. That's over $30,000,000 for Pan Am Park - from where does the discrepancy of $25 million come?

So, the Province gives us money for the Pan Am Games (and some re-development), but we give back a good chunk of that money when we buy their land for the EM site. So, not much of a win, there. We also have to use around 90% of the previously approved WH Future Fund monies that were initially deemed to be only for improving the downtown/WH, for the EM site. No win for the allocated downtown/WH there, either. The Ticats offer to give $1.5 million towards the non-stadium Pan Am Park - on what schedule? Lump sum? The current Ticats offer $100,000 annually for WH Pan Am Park maintenance - paid how? For how long? Until the team switches hands? In perpetuity? Taking inflation into account?

Okay. Say all those questions have rosy answers, and the WH/downtown gets a vibrancy injection, and Bob Young gets what he wants (despite the grocery list of reasons why that is not a smart, sustainable development). And...IWS has a nice out-of-the-picture-now game plan, too (whatever that means). We still have not seen a glimpse of a financial forecast for this EM stadium location. What goes on when the Cats aren't playing? Again, a little HECFI weigh in would be nice. How much can we lose annually? What if the team sells? What cut of the much-improved profits (e.g. tax payer supplied parking lot) that will be made at Ticat games does the City get, to put towards the cost building, serving and running an EM stadium (e.g. to pay for tax payer supplied parking lot)?

I'm exhausted.

Comment edited by goin'downtown on 2010-07-29 21:53:52