Raise the Hammer

Wow C'est le chat. I am glad you felt comfortable enough with Hamilton to make your mark on this space because what you have stated was beautiful and it's touching for me as a life-long Hamitonian, to hear others talk so highly of this place - especially your comment about Hamilton being a welcoming home for gays. It's nice to know that this is a town everyone feels to be a great place to raise a child.

It certainly needs some work. That nobody can deny, but it's great having the voice of those from out of town who see great pontential in our city and how have moved around enough to know what is unique and special about Hamiton. Now it's time for action and to start moving our city in the right direction and for those that thought a great place to start was building a new stadium somewhere else so that we can make it bigger and create this big entertainment district with bars and clubs and what not - I think we need to keep it as more of a family oriented event. We already have a tailgate party across the way at Scott Park that starts early in the day and we allow patrons to purchase alcohol up to the end of hte third quarter where it's half-time in the NFL, so I am not sure a stadium surrounded by bars is the best environment to create. It sounds very south of the border to me.

Sure, there should be some establishments around Ivor Wynne as there are very few right now, but I personally envivision perhaps the Football Hall of Fame being moved west. The Tiger-Town store being around the stadium. People going over to Jimmy Thompson Pool before the game for a swim or take there kids into the community centre at the Scott Park HS, or arts and crafts at one of the 3 surrounding schools or perhaps a new playground at Scott Park for the kids. Maybe a CFL shop at Stadium Mall which is really vacant and someone should be looking into that building which looks like it is from the Civic Stadium/Jimmy Thompson Memorial era.

Not only do I agree with your comment C'est le chat about us needed to embrace change better, we need to be innovated in those visions of change. We are rebuilding Ivor Wynne which is nestled into a community. It's very unique as should be the way we look at developing the surrounding community.

I like to tie one on like the next guy, but our planning of the stadium district shouldn't revolve around alochol and partying. I know I don't want the district to turn into a college or university frosh district or 20 surrounding watering holes offering $2 drafts.

Having a few too many bevies is good for the soul - especially when you are enjoying a few laughs with friends and fans alike, but no matter where this stadium went, it's still a community owned stadium whose first priority, should be family.

So while I am rambling, I would like to see two or three family sections in the new IW. An alcohol free one should remain, and then two we deem as family friendly, but that allows drinking but is watched a little more closely by fans and security staff alike, to ensure the feel of those sections remains a family friendly one. Tickets should also clearly state, that they are either alcohol-free family or family-friendly/alcohol allowed, sections.

Anyways C'est le chat, you'll notice I ramble alot but bottom line, I am glad you love our city and I hope I can do my part to encourage people like you, to stay and start a family here. Join Twitter if you havne't already. Watch the #hamont hashtag daily and start adding these people to your network. Read all of their bio's. You'll be taken aback by just how many people tout this city.

I agree that in the past, Hamilton has suffered from extreme negativity and self-doubt - myself included, but it's changing and it's exciting to watch. Politics has a way of covering up the positive things that are happening because people are taken it uppon themselves, to make a difference. Ottawa Street, James Street North, The Pearl Company, etc, etc. I add the Pearl Company because they have had to (and they continue to), fight like dogs to fight our municiple bureaucracy's, to create something in Hamilton that we desperate need. They have brought the arts to Ward 3 as have many gallery owners on Ottawa Street who have recently moved there.

Reading some of these comments can surely get you down, or comments on The Spec, etc. Join Twitter and follow the right people becuase reading those Tweets is like a daily dose of positivity. Surrounding ourselves with positive, caring people, truly can change our outlook on life and make you realize that we have allowed a few negative souls bring us down when there exists (and probably always has), so many people who genuinely care and want to make life for everyone in this city, better.

Life in Hamilton is no longer a C'est la vie existance anymore. It's Carpe Diem. We all have a vision of things we want to see or don't want to lose in this city. It's time for us to tell council and big business, what we want. Not the other way around. Yes, I am talking Ivor Wynne Stadium. I am talking Walmart at the Centre on Barton. I am talking System Schools. Festivals at Gage Park. Urban sprawl enchroaching on Conservation lands. Aerotropolis and mid-penninsula hwy's. We already lost Red Hill (not that we couldn't take it back some day insert evil laugh here), but it's time we started winning some of these battles even if winning means, we deside as a larger collective, that some of these changes are what we as a larger populous, want to see.