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October 13, 2010
Tiger-Cats stadium deadline pushed back to February
I know I've said that stadium deadlines are made to be broken, but the one in the Hamilton Tiger-Cats stadium standoff is getting ridiculous:
The City of Hamilton and the Ticats have been given yet another deadline extension as they attempt to craft a business plan for a new stadium, which is slated to be used as a soccer venue during the 2015 Pan Am Games. The Ticats have said it is crucial they get a new home — to replace the aging Ivor Wynne Stadium — if they are to remain in the city.
Ian Troop, the head of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games organizing committee, had earlier said the city and Ticats needed to have a firm business plan for the stadium in place by this week. But considering the progress being made, Troop is now willing to set a new "absolute and final deadline" of Feb. 1, 2011.
"Progress being made" notwithstanding, the time is needed, writes the Montreal Gazette, to fill a "huge budget shortfall" that remains for the $166 million stadium plan: In addition to a $30 million gap in construction costs, no one has offered to pay the cost of buying land for the stadium (the Ticats owners say they'd buy land around it for development, which isn't the same thing). And no one knows how much that land will cost — just one of a lot of unanswered questions about the stadium proposal.
I'd like to hope that they'll all be answered by February, but sadly, history tells us otherwise.
Yeah, this is ridiculous.
As much as I think a new stadium is actually required in Hamilton (unlike many other places that demand tax dollars), it is an absolute disgrace that the groups involved can't get their acts together any better than this.
Last summer, Troop and his Panoc group moved the track events to another stadium, leaving Hamilton with only the soccer facility to build. Sadly, the gang that couldn't shoot straight still can't. I wouldn't blame Troop for giving up on the Hamilton area altogether. He's given them more than enough time to work this out.
Posted by John Bladen on October 13, 2010 03:52 PM