Comment 46430

By demosthenes (registered) | Posted August 27, 2010 at 12:29:44

After following RTH for the past several months, I finally created an account a few days ago ... I'm feeling the need to say something as this Pan Am Stadium debate is starting to get a bit wearisome, even for a Hamilton native as anxious as the next guy to see my home town on its feet. First, let me be clear that as a long-time east mountain resident who saw Hamilton's best piece of green space torn up for a flood-prone concrete nightmare I am no fan of East Mountain site for this stadium. For a while, I found myself supporting the West Harbour location, but I've finally had enough. I'd like to call attention to Principle #18 listed on this site's "Charter":

"Public mega-projects are almost always a bad idea, costing too much and delivering too little. They demolish neighbourhoods to bolster politicians' egos."

I submit the Pan Am stadium as exhibit A. For once, Andrew Dreschel was right earlier this month in his Spec column (I can't believe I just typed that) when he suggested we walk away from this train-wreck-in-the-making. Whenever I've mentioned this debate to friends and relatives outside the city of Hamilton they've all rolled their eyes and said roughly the same thing: Hamilton is about to fall for the oldest trick in the book "this multi-million dollar stadium built in an economically depressed but predominantly residential area will surely trigger urban renewal!" I seriously doubt it, and I also cringe at the most recent idea of turning Innovation Park lands (an idea that probably would do a lot more for "urban renewal" AND our economy than is given credit) into a money-draining sports stadium.

Walk away, Hamilton. There are bigger fish to fry, and this debate has gone on long enough.

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