Raise the Hammer

If you want a concert hall or some other kind of entertainment facility at the West Harbour location, I would agree with you that this type of facility would definitely fit the model, but it has yet to be determined whether a velodrome is compatible within that kind of precinct. Isn't this why Council has decided to undertake the development of a business plan specifically for the velodrome?

Why is there no velodrome right next to the Sydney Opera House? Why is there no velodrome in downtown Manchester, Paris, New York, L.A., Moscow, Tokyo, or in almost any other major or minor City around the world?

The answer is land value.

Maybe Hamilton is smarter than the rest of these cities.

Maybe Hamilton can be the one city in the world that can turn a downtown velodrome into a profit centre that can be the catalyst for a city-wide renaissance and for urban renewal.

You are making the very typical mistake of trying to make a velodrome facility into something that it is not.

Perhaps a more realistic position would not set the facility up for long-term failure, even if it meant not having the three facilities adjacent to each other for the few days that they will be used during the Games.

The real contribution that a velodrome will make to the community will come from the daily use by youth, university students, adults, seniors, our high performance athletes and from the general community, who will utilize the non-cycling programs and amenities throughout the week after the Games are finished.

If it can be shown that the West Harbour is the best location for the long-term success of a velodrome, then it would make sense to support it. This has not yet been done.

The City also needs to ask whether the velodrome is the right fit for its long-term plans for a harbourfront entertainment precinct. You have already seemingly answered that question with your suggestion of a post Games convertion to a concert hall.

I'd like to ask where you are suggesting that the velodrome would be located so that it would be "out of reach" for many Hamiltonians?

And I'd also like to know the basis for the accusation that someone or group is trying to move the velodrome into their own backyard for selfish reasons. That's a pretty serious allegation that warrants at least some supporting evidence.