“We don’t know squat,” admits Hamilton Councillor

[Lionheart]

Good Grief .. do you have a clue what's going on and who's paying for what and who will be using the stadium?

I vote this post DPoM

[KnowItAll]

Good Grief .. do you have a clue what's going on and who's paying for what and who will be using the stadium?

I vote this post DPoM

I totally agree.

what does DPoM stand for again???

[cromartie]

Good Grief .. do you have a clue what's going on and who's paying for what and who will be using the stadium?

I vote this post DPoM

Thirded.

[West Coast Blue Fan]

Unanimous

DPoM = Dumbest post of the month

[Blue In BC]

[/quote]

But where would they play in Ottawa?

The reconstruction completion date of Frank Clair is set for June 7, 2013, and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group plans to have the Rough Riders in there right after opening. Not much room for TiCats before that date...[/quote]

I thought the stadium was going to be completed for 2012. OTOH, we've been waiting for Ottawa to come back every year since they folded.

Why is it going to take another 3 years to build a stadium?

Regardless. Question number 1 is will the Ti Cats continue to exist in Hamilton and how serious is Young in his comments.

[Lionheart]

I like Neverwin stadium. I like where it is. But that as a fans purrspective. Great fans there and in the immediate area. When I went there there were fans two blocks away that just after meeting me wouldn't allow me to get a hotel, gave me a room and man did we party with folks from all around. Good ole' ontario porch parties.. almost forgot what they were like.

One thing about putting a stadium out by a highway or whatever is there sure will be a lot of character lost.

I would really hope to get back there before it's gone.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Ticat ... story.html

The Hamilton stadium project is on life support and the future of the city's Canadian Football League team is in doubt.

During an emergency city council meeting on Wednesday, councillors voted down a pair of potential sites. It was decided that the site currently under investigation -- located on Canadian Pacific Railway land in the city's west end -- will cost too much to develop.

Mayor Bob Bratina, who took office earlier this month, put forward a motion asking city staff to investigate Confederation Park as a potential stadium site, but the motion was defeated 9-6.

The new stadium, which will be used as a soccer venue during the 2015 Pan-Am Games, was supposed to become the future home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Ticats owner Bob Young has suggested he will need to move the franchise if a new facility -- to replace the aging Ivor Wynne Stadium -- is not built in the city in the next few years.

"I think the meeting spoke for itself in terms of the dysfunctionality of this whole process," said Ticats president Scott Mitchell. "I think the process has pretty much run its course.

"I'm going to talk with Bob and with the management team and look at what this means for the future of the Tiger-Cats."

The 2015 Pan-Am Games organizing committee has set Feb. 1, 2011 as the deadline for Hamilton to put forward a stadium plan.

"I don't think it's dead, because we haven't declared it formally dead," said Bratina. "It's certainly difficult, the patient is very sick, but there's still some time to go before Feb. 1 and you never know."

.............

It seems to me someone on that city council does not like football, has clout with the other members of council, and votes down all proposals.

It looked like the previous Mayor was the problem. He got ousted. New Mayor. Same problem with the council votes.

I hope Bob Young can outlast the stonewallers on council until they get voted out.

[Sir Purrcival]

And this is the city that thinks it is big league enough to have a Hockey Franchise. Ridiculous.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Tiger ... story.html

TORONTO — Hamilton Tiger-Cats president Scott Mitchell met with the mayor of Burlington, Ont., on Monday to discuss the possibility of building a new stadium for the Canadian Football League club in the city.

Burlington is located about 20 kilometres from Hamilton.

"We met with the mayor (Rick Goldring on Monday) morning and we've had a great amount of interest from the private sector for that land," said Mitchell. "We got $30 million worth of investment and capital . . . in that spot, which obviously changes the dynamic. I think you're probably looking at a smaller scope of a stadium in that location as well. I think we'd be looking at something between 20,000 and 25,000 capacity."

The deal is said to include Paletta International's Angelo Paletta, a Burlington-based developer.

"In July, when things went off the rails in Hamilton, there were a lot of different towns and municipalities that had kind of expressed their interest in talking about the stadium," said Mitchell. "Then a private-sector conglomerate in the Halton region came forward with some thoughts on what could possibly be a solution.

"It's a very different business model, funding model at that spot."

Some city councilors might feel that football does not have to be part of the Hamilton community. But a pro sports team raises the profile of a city, builds tourism, etc. IMO the Hamilton city council is out of touch with reality.

Last week Hamilton city council voted not to examine a site at Confederation Park on the shores of Lake Ontario. The decision left the city with no sites on the table and a Feb. 1 deadline, set by the Toronto 2015 organizing committee, fast approaching.

Another potential Hamilton site, located on land owned by Canadian Pacific Railway, was deemed too expensive to purchase. The Ticats and city have had trouble generating the funding needed to build a stadium big enough to house a CFL team (about 25,000 seats). The Pan Am funding only covers the construction of a smaller-sized stadium.

While there appears to be private-sector support for the Burlington plan there was not much excitement among businesses for any of the sites identified in Hamilton.

Hamilton does not deserve to keep the TiCats based on its bahaviour so far.

Hamilton city council will meet again on Jan. 12 to discuss the stadium issue and Troop indicates it is still possible a stadium will be constructed in the city.

"Hamilton's not out of the equation until Hamilton decides it's out of the equation," said Troop. "It's getting a little complicated, no doubt, but Hamilton hasn't made a firm decision to pullout . . . I believe they wanted to come at it again in the new year."

Troop was not shocked to hear about a plan to move the team and the stadium to Burlington.

"We knew the Ticats had talked to them (Burlington) in the summer so I'm not surprised," said Troop.

Mitchell warns that a lot of work still needs to be done before the Burlington project becomes a reality.

"We believe this is a regional win-win," said Mitchell. "But this is all preliminary right now and a lot of work needs to be done."

Meantime Hamilton hopes to get an NHL franchilse. Hmmmm ... not acting like it has the maturity, money, support or leadership for that venture.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.cfl.ca/article/ticats-examin ... burlington

Ticats examine potential sites in Burlington
December 28, 2010
THE CANADIAN PRESS

HAMILTON, Ont. -- The mayor of Hamilton says he doesn't blame the city's CFL team for looking at a possible move to nearby Burlington, Ont.

Bob Bratina says it “hurts to think of the team moving,” but adds city councillors who thought the Tiger-Cats where bluffing about relocating can see the team is serious.

Ticat officials have met with Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring and a developer to investigate a possible stadium just east of the Aldershot GO Transit station.

The stadium would serve the 2015 Pan Am Games and then be the new home of the Tiger-Cats.

The meeting came after Hamilton city council voted last week not to consider the team's favoured location of Confederation Park for a stadium to replace the aging Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Tiger-Cats president Scott Mitchell confirmed Tuesday that the football franchise is examining potential sites in Burlington.

“We have spent almost one year working with the City of Hamilton to find a suitable location for a 'legacy' stadium that would house Pan American soccer games and become the new home of the Tiger-Cats, with no success,” Mitchell said in a statement.

Mitchell said the Aldershot property is three kilometres from Hamilton and is convenient for fans.

“We believe the proposed Aldershot location, being on the municipal boundary of Hamilton and Burlington ... will satisfy HostCo's requirements for soccer,” Mitchell said.

Goldring plans to ask Burlington city staff on Jan. 6 to prepare a report on the stadium project.

Hamilton councillors have until Feb. 1 to notify the 2015 Pan Am organizing committee about their stadium plans.

“The ball is still in Hamilton's court,” Bratina said.

Ian Troop, Pan Am organizing committee CEO, said Burlington officials need to have their plan together by Feb. 1 as well.

And he said Burlington's stadium proposal would have to meet the same criteria used for Hamilton.

Mississauga, Brampton and Markham have also shown interest in building a stadium, Troop said.

Mitchell called the situation a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“The British Empire Games provided the same stimulus for the construction of what is now Ivor Wynne Stadium almost 80 years ago,” he said.

“Our goal remains to keep the franchise in this community and we are working hard to do that,” Mitchell added.

I'm not privy to the inner workings of the Hamilton city council. However if the Mayor says, in effect, "city councillors who thought the Tiger-Cats were bluffing about relocating can see the team is serious," then I am thinking the council has some idiots on it.

Bluffing with the cultural future of the city. Sports might not seem like a cultural priority to many, but for those that don't see it that way, they need to get in touch with the modern world.

[Canuck_4_Life]

I think Hamilton City Council is competing with Glendale City Council to see who's dumber.

Glendale had to pay the potential owner of the Coyotes to take the Jobing.com Arena off their hands to the tune of $100 million US. Hamilton City Council has 4 weeks to realize that the Ticats are serious. Then again, if they do a complete about-face now, they look dumb and more pathetic than they look now.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/artic ... -cost-0-00

Burlington’s stadium cost? $0.00

NO MONEY Ticat VP Doug Rye, president Scott Mitchell, and developer Angelo Paletta met with Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring Wednesday.
Kaz Novak/The Hamilton Spectator
BURLINGTON A Burlington Pan Am Stadium consortium has proposed a $90 to $120 million stadium for Aldershot that would not require a municipal contribution from the City of Burlington.

That was the offer Tiger-Cat president Scott Mitchell and consortium partner Angelo Paletta made to Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring in a 90-minute private meeting Wednesday.

“I think we tried to provide a solution that mitigates any financial risk or obligations to the City of Burlington,” Mitchell said following the meeting.

Mitchell said as part of the deal, the private consortium would manage and operate the 22,000 seat stadium for the municipality.

“We have tried to give them a compelling business case,” he said. “What we are proposing involves no financial contribution from the City of Burlington.”

“We have tried to give them a compelling business case that will result in tens of millions in revenue for the city and region.”

And Burlington appears ready to play ball.

“How can we not look at this?” Goldring said afterwards. “They have come with an offer we can’t refuse to look at.”

Goldring briefed his council after the meeting and believes he has sufficient support to have city staff explore the stadium offer. And he said that if resolution to do that passes, he will be on the telephone to Pan Am organizers and the province to seek an extension to the Feb. 1 deadline for a site selection.

The proposal depends on the Pan Am organizing committee providing $70 to $100 million in funding that was to go to a Hamilton stadium, before Hamilton council ran out of sites.

Goldring said Burlington would be responsible for the infrastructure needs for the area but acknowledged the city would be paying for that in any event, stadium or no stadium.

“Clearly this is a great opportunity for the city to investigate,” he said. “This is something we have to strongly consider.”

Asked why Hamilton would be asked for $45 million for a stadium and Burlington might get there without any contribution, Goldring said it was his understanding there were bigger challenges involved with some of the other Hamilton sites.

Mitchell had stated previously that the city would have to make a financial contribution to the project.

The huge sweetener comes from Paletta, who told the mayor and city staffers that the stadium would be the catalyst to kick start more than $100 million in development on the adjacent 125 acres of land he owns.

“I think it was a good meeting. I think we have alleviated a lot of concern on the financial side,” he added.

Paletta, who is the key figure in the Burlington consortium, is offering the private land as part of its portion of a $30 million contribution for the project, said the development would include a hotel, restaurants, retail and a training centre for sports excellence.

“It’s huge,” Paletta said of the associated development, most of which would begin alongside the stadium construction. “A lot of it will go hand-in-hand.”

Paletta said he has already received overtures from investors ready to proceed with the development should the stadium receive the green light.

Mitchell and Paletta said the next step belongs to city council. They hope council will give a staff direction Thursday to explore the stadium project.

Mitchell, Tiger-Cats vice-president Doug Rye and Paletta, president of Paletta International Inc., met with Goldring, his chief of staff Frank McKeown, city manager Roman Martiuk and Burlington Councillor Rick Craven.

Burlington council is set to meet Thursday morning to consider Goldring’s recommendation to have city staff explore the Aldershot stadium issue.

Martiuk has suggested if the recommendation wins support, he would report back in two weeks on a list of questions the city would seek answers to on the stadium.

But timing could be crucial. The Pan Am host committee has insisted the stadium site must be settled by Feb. 1.

And Hamilton council is expected to revisit recommending Confederation Park as the stadium location when it meets again Wednesday.

Sounds like last chance for Hamilton city council to get their heads out of the sand. Based on their behaviour so far, with those opposed to the development still going strong, I would expect them to drop the ball once again.

TiCats say: "Bye Bye, Hamilton. Hello. Burlington."

[Lions4ever]

So after all the angst and hand-wringing and drama, the solution is to refurbish the ol' dump? Cripes. I think Shakespeare wrote a play about this.

[David]

So after all the angst and hand-wringing and drama, the solution is to refurbish the ol' dump? Cripes. I think Shakespeare wrote a play about this.

Hamleton?

Sorry.

DH