I’ve spent hundreds and hundreds of hours reading reports and anything else available to the public regarding where to build a stadium and velodrome for the Pan Am games.
I have been in constant contact with Pan Am games CEO Ian Troop, nice fellow. Open, honest and transparent, he wants what's good for the games, above all else.
I certainly understand what he means by legacy, a paying user, or group of users, like football teams or soccer teams, as the case may be.
Anyhow, having made visits to both areas to see for myself, it wasn't that hard to figure out which location will serve this community well for generations to come, one with a park, instead of a stadium.
What I really find sad, and I’m sure Ian Troop would concur, is we are losing sight of the heart and spirit of the games, why we are participating in this world class event in the first place.
I’m impressed that Mr. Troop has allowed council to carry on as they have, everyone chipping in their partisan two cents worth, instead of dealing with the fundamental principles of the Pan Am Games.
Who will be footing the bill after the games have left? Having paying tenants lined up before you build something is always a good idea.
Why has nobody (paying users) stepped forth to support Mayor Fred’s insistence on the west harbour site for a 15,000-seat stadium and Velodrome?
The Tiger-Cats, and Bob Young, have done their homework and much, much more, in preparation for the Pan Am games on the east Mountain, a pastoral setting unlike any other I’ve seen.
We have to have a Pan Am stadium on the east Mountain that pulls its own weight — only Bob Young has offered to assume this responsibility, taxpayers will not be on the hook for one thin dime.
The recent discussions about a greenfield parking lot across the street from the lobe of land proposed for the stadium structure, fails to note that two-lane on-and off-ramps spill right into the side of this property at a T-intersection. If you were to drive straight through, you would be in the east Mountain stadium parking lot. Crosswalks are already there because this section of road is four lanes wide at this point. Other arterial roads lead away from this area in every conceivable direction.
In case nobody has noticed, the Highway 20 area and Highway 6 is bustling with ongoing development of every single type — residential, commercial, the works.
This part of the Mountain is booming at an incredible pace; to call it suburbia is ridiculous.
I keep hearing how the best interests of the public will be served, I hope that includes the hopes and dreams of the 250,000 Hamilton residents who live on Hamilton Mountain and the surrounding communities who want to get behind the spirit of the games as well, not treated as second-class citizens by those living in the lower city because we support the east Mountain location.
People drive cars in huge numbers in this city. Look in any driveway on any street you pick, an average two cars or more. People also like convenience, that's why all shopping centres have huge parking lots. They are a fact of life and a reality.
I have also been doing research on parking lots and how to make them more environmentally acceptable and how to lower their carbon footprint.
I was surprised at some of the innovative ways, one I saw had a canopy of solar cells used to offset the power requirements of the stadium when in use and feeding back into the grid when the stadium was not in use, or another lot paved with non-permeable surfaces with drainage that is used to flush the toilets in the stadium.
I could go on, but you get the idea. I look forward to reading the assessment report we have all been waiting for. The sooner the better, the public has a right to know, especially a decision of this magnitude.
Mark-Alan Whittle, Hamilton Mountain
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