Raise the Hammer

An order of magnitude was requested BTY Group to quote this plan back in February of 2009. I have it if someone wants me to email them, but I won't post it on the site. It's $93M to do what has been talked about above, included demolishing the south stands and building new ones. The plan enables the work to be done in the offseason, so the Cats can pick up where they left off with new south stands. The 2007 city report discusses in some detail, how the south side stand replacement would work to alleviate any play interuptions.

Ryan, I don't think this is a reason to have a bad day. There is no funding shortfall with this plan. It is community building because even the owner of the new National Art College of Canada was talking about an American-style football program. What could this revitalized Balsam Avenue North area do for our community?

There are many who see benefit to this plan. We have all read over and over again the benefits of city building at the Harbor and we all understand so much more about that area and why some immediate attention is required. Even many who don't neccesarily agree with a stadium in the harbor, have been okay with the plan simply because of what it would do for Ward 2. I hope they chose the Harbor for the Veledrome to make sure that area is cleaned up as part of these games in some way shape or form. Would Harbor supporters be okay if two Wards benefited from this proposal? At least the stadium would still go in Hamilton and in the centre of it.

The Arts are alive at this new college, The Pearl Company, and Ottawa Street, and the synergies of art and sports that was discussed about the Harbor, are already in place on Balsam and this could only turn into something pretty amazing. Scott Park arena is fairly old. Imagine a new arena in it's place. Imagine refurbishing the historical Jimmy Thompson to continue the history preservation on Balsam. Imagine a sports hub, where a sports hub of some sort has exixted already for 80 years.

I have had to wake up so many mornings the past however many months in the same kind of mood you are in, but I have taken a step back and re-evaluated the situation and have even had to say 'although I am not a huge fan of a stadium in the Harbor or here or there, I do understand it'. I just took a breath, and kept on fighting. What did I have to lose? There was never any hope to my plans. None, except the people that I had met through this process who did see benefit in what I was discussing, but council didn't see it. The Tiger-Cats didn't see it, and even Sam Merulla and his $20M over 20 years, didn't really see it. It was nice sort of having a council who wasn't even my own on my side, but I did want him to take his refurbish Ivor Wynne just a little further to at least throw the Cats a small bone even.

I hope and know you will not stop fighting for what you believe in. This doesn't mean it's all over, but I can tell you it is nice to finally see Ivor Wynne talked about. I have always said, what harm is there to just explore it.

I never thought in a million years I would wake up to find people tweeting a little about my site and then find that the front page news on TheSpec.com was talking about the Cats and council discussing what I have been writing and dreaming about since last summer.