Comment 75654

By Jumpstart (anonymous) | Posted April 03, 2012 at 08:12:12

World-class LOLZ.

At last week’s council meeting, Bernie Morelli and Lloyd Ferguson put forward a motion asking the Games’ organizing committee, TO2015, to choose Hamilton as the second site for the Pan Am cultural festival.

However, Pan Am officials were quick to reject the idea.

“Not sure where or on what basis Hamilton believes it is a cultural site,” Louise Lutgens, Pan Am’s vice-president of external partnerships and community outreach, said in an email sent to the city on Friday. “We certainly know that based on current budgets from TO2015 that is not possible.”

Hamilton’s Pan Am portfolio has been steadily shrinking since 2010, when the city lost track and field events during the protracted — and heated — stadium debate. Hamilton gave up on cycling events last fall when council refused to pay more than $5 million of the estimated $45-million cost of building a velodrome.

The city also recently passed on an opportunity to host baseball during the 2015 Games. In March, councillors voted against even investigating the possibility of bidding on hosting baseball and softball, arguing they didn’t have the appetite to reopen the painful Pan Am debate — or to face a potential $6-million price tag for new facilities.

However, there’s still a chance that the city could see an additional Pan Am venue — a training pool at McMaster University.

Mac spokesperson Andrea Farquhar said the university is still waiting to hear whether its proposal was successful.

“We were waiting for their review and for their decision. So we’re status quo,” she said.

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/698136--city-s-role-in-2015-pan-am-games-shrinks-again

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