Raise the Hammer

Good points to ponder, it's going to take some creative thinking to get everyone back on track.

It's cost prohibitive for private development due the remediation. Period. They won't get adequate return on the investment. Developers want to build residential/commerical, not pretty ampitheatres that are only usuable in seasonal weather. Besides, the City cannot aribitrariy 'give' land to a developer...if they can I am in the wrong business.

Personally, I am not a fan of the Ampitheatre idea and don't believe it will aide in creating the critical mass we have talked about to rejuvenate the area. The reality is that unfortunately, due to our close proximity to Toronto, Hamilton is not considered a premiere venue for entertainment. Promoters would rather have two nights in TO than cover the costs of having an artist play one night in TO, then move one night in Hamilton. Hamilton is also located right smack in the middle of London's Labatt Centre, Niagara Fallsview and Toronto (with it's various indoor and outdoor venues). Hamilton also already has venues of varying sizes that are continually referred to as 'white elephants'.

That being said, many people argue that HECFI should be nixed and our facilities should be run by the private sector (which is another entire topic). Who knows? Maybe with the right managemet we could become the entertainment mecca of Southern Ontario (one can dream).

No one ever said that a stadium was the absolute best use of the property down there; it presented the best option given the opportunity currenlty available. The Pan Am games were originally supposed to be the once in a generation chance to leverage off government funding to create some much needed athletic infrastructure.

The idea of a rec centre/community centre on that land would be great use - provided that it is completely top notch and includes a soccer pitch and many other amenities.

The whole concept of the 'Pan Am park' pitched by the 'Cats seems to be created by an individual that has never spent any time down at the Waterfront. There is already ample park space in that immediate area; Central Park, Bayfront Park and Pier 4 Park.
There is a brand new bandshell located at the Williams Coffee Pub. Gage Park has a bandshell that is utilized for outdoor events/concerts.