Raise the Hammer

We knew there would be a shortfall (I believe of approximately 10 to 15 million) back before we even decided on a location for the Pan Am Stadium, right at the initial Pan Am bid victory. We knew this because the budget was for a temporary facility, and not a permanent one.

It's only now, 1 month before a deadline, that the cycling community has decided to start a fundraising committee to raise money for the permanent velodrome, with their excuse being we didn't know the exact numbers we were working with, and how much was needed.

Had they aimed for a $10 million fundraising target back then, or even a $5 million, and reached that goal over the course of the past two or three years, I think council would be much more willing to throw in an additional $5 million.

However, to say that council should committ an additional $5 million now, and they'll try and find funding from other sources in the next month? No, that seems like it's a day late and a dollar short.

I've always been a fan of the velodrome and believed, like you do Andrew, that it was always the real crown jewel in the Pan Am win for Hamilton, and that it was one of the facilities that would help put Hamilton on the map.

After seeing the way all the parties have handled the velodrome (half baked idea of a teamup with Mohawk that actually costs the city more money than Mohawk is contributing, some City councillors deciding the location in private, funding shortfall "sprung" on councillors last minute, and the fact the Cycling supporters seem to have been asleep at the switch for the past year when it comes to fundraising) I find it extremely difficult if not impossible to support the velodrome out of new funds.

I would support council if they decided to cut back on the Stadium funds to make a permanent velodrome, but I wouldn't support more than $5 million in new funding for the velodrome itself.

We've had too many people coming to the public well to drink, we can't keep dishing it out to everyone. It's unfortuante that the project I saw the most hope for will be on the short end of the stick, but after our deals with McMaster, Lister Block, Pan Am Stadium, I just don't see how we can afford to keep making deals that cost the city enormous amounts of money.

I know it's important that cities support these kinds of initiatives, but it seems to me that there's only so much a city can take on. We can't dish out $10 million to each mega-project that comes our way.