Raise the Hammer

Funny highwater you mention this, I feel exactly the opposite, for the first time in I don't know how many decades, finally we have a TigerCat owner willing to put some money up for a new facility. As a citizen, I feel more proud and respected with Bob Young's contribution.

I have felt that way as well. What a breath of fresh air to see how the Tiger-Cats have grown into a professionally marketed team on the verge of greatness, a cleaned up stadium with one of the largest video boards in North America, and really good crowds who all seem to be getting to the current site just fine, and so much going on from fun days to World Record days.

I'll say it for the 100th time. Build the WH site. 15,000 seats. You don't need the Ti-Cats there. Concerts, track and field events, a community stadium for track and related type community use certainly are enough to make it a profitable contributing factor to our tax base.

Then you take that money that was going to be used to up the seating capacity of the 15,000 Pan Am's site, and put that towards the current [IWS site](http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=139933546032519&ref=ts]. Both the WH site and IWS are exactly the same minus the smoke stacks in the background, but the escarpment background is prett impressive. Wrap the north endzone around and build some shelter on that side and hide more of that north end, but really, why are we trying to hide it and impress others? That is us like it or love it. Really. Ya we need to slowly rid ourselves of it for the greater good of the environment, but for now it is us and has been us for many generations.

IWS serves the community on so many levels right now, so how great would it be to have two such locations. One for the Cats, one for soccer? Bob owns teams at both locations. Don't they like smaller venues for soccer anyway that are for soccer only? As long as they don't take the community use away from the WH location like they did at BMO field.

Bob, I have said it before. I have great respect for you as a man, a business man, and an entrepreneur. But we cherish community in Hamilton and we love IWS for that and want to see something similar at WH. Not that you don't cherish community, but from what I have read on here, and other sites like FB, that is what everyone loves about WH.

I don't want to see the Cats go with my whole heart. I don't want to see you go as an owner because there don't seem to be many owners like you in Canada (and I am not just talking about people with deep pockets), but I think above all else, the one thing that is clear here is that everyone wants this to be a community stadium. Those that want the EM I think more just want the Cats to be sustainable for the long term. Me included. I don't know that I would want to live in a CFL-less town. It has been part of me since childhood. Professional sports as Scott Mitchell said in his Spec interview, is so important to our community. I don't want to lose that.

All I am asking from the bottom of my Hamilton loving (first), and Ti-Cat loving (second) heart, is just listen to the people in this city. This city has been going in the wrong direction for so long and I think those that are still passionate enough to fight for their city - for change, deserve to have their voices heard and trusted.

We need to know if the vision the other side holds is actually better for our community - for this world for that matter, than the build a highway down the most beautiful lands in this city/build a stadium by big box stores that we all hate, and encourage and help these little shop owners thrive.

We want to see more Shops Around the Corner, than F-O-X type box stores. I want to walk up and down a tree lined community street and shop, not around a big block of pavement. You think the people on Stoney Creek Mtn really wanted that beautiful area in our city to turn into the big box nightmare that it is? I would think not. Ancaster and Upper James are already a nightmare to get around, and as Stoney Creek continues to be paved in concrete, it will be the same. Nice little communities with no way out.

I am tired of seeing advisors from other big cities coming into to Hamilton saying we want people stuck in traffic so they can admire the stores around them. Bah humbug! You say we want it, we don't.

People on this site and others similar to it (even on the Ticats forums), and the people who care more about people and animals than nature than money, are onto something. Let them be heard and let them give their vision a try. We are all told we need all this 'big money' to make the world go around, but perhaps there is a way to be successful as a community - as a city, without money being such a driving force?

Either find a way to save IW, or just give WH a shot. Perhaps your advisors are wrong. I for one think from the passion I have seen these past couple of weeks surrounding WH, that all of these people will go to no ends, to make WH work for everyone.

As for money and the possibility of saving IW ... I remmeber they built a church up from me (on the Hamilton Mtn), in one weekend. Obviously you need some tradesmen, but for the most part, it seemed like community members that built it. Fast and probably fairly inexpensive as well.

Set up a kids camp at Scott Park field (baseball diamonds, pool (Jimmy Thompson), arena (Scott Park), for my kids to hang during the day (7 days a week), and I'll donate as much time as possible to help the re-building. 12 hours on a weekend, maybe dedicate two weeks of my holiday to the project? Maybe some tradesmen would donate some time and perhaps some materials would be donated or sold at cost all in support of a community project like rebuilding IWS?

As I previously posted, I am not okay with all these dollars being thrown around. There has to be a way to make it cheaper. Much more cheaper. Everything is millions and billions these days. Does it really have to be?

There is a way to make this a win-win situation for all involved. I believe wholeheartedly that there is. So let's listen to all these ideas and pool them all together and build something (or two somethings), that makes us all proud.

Stop thinking dollars and cents (and I know on some level we do have to), but perhaps listening to the depths of our hearts will bring more financial rewards than we could have ever dreamed, buy listening to the community.

I think if we can make the entire feel good and proud of what comes out of this, they will do anything in their power to support it and sell it. I think an entire 500,000 person community selling something to the world, is much more valuable than one company trying to sell something to 500,000 people and the world on top of it. Espcially if you are trying to sell something so many people are against.

I know I tend to be very long winded Bob/forum followers, but this is so important to Hamilton, and not since the Red Hill Valley, has something touched me so deeply. Something that I wanted to get involved in and help bring food to tree-sitters, than than the thought of this city (the one I have lived in for most of my 37 years and would like to live until I am in it's ground), taking a drastic turn down the wrong path, and a franchise I would do anything in my power to support and save from leaving town.

Go up to the top of the Jolly Cut for a couple of hours and look around at the city below the mount. That's where I have always gone to make hard decisions. Take city council with you. It's enlightening.

Watch quietly and let this all soak in. Everything you have had to soak in since this project started. Let that beautiful view, help you realize what is best for the city and Ti-Cat's fans alike. Ivor Wynne looks pretty cool from above - espcially at night when your guys are practising or even better yet, when a game is on and the stadium is full.

This isn't about what other cities have done. THis is about being a world leader and doing what is right for this community.