Halifax Stadium Discussion

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

Let's fund our enthusiasm for sports via the Texas Method: cut science classes, 🞵🞵🞵 education, reduce the hours per day in school, and pay our teachers as though they work at Wal-Mart!

Now, this may considerably harm the middle-class in our region -- but remember: a stadium will make some people richer!

And we gets entertainment that don't involve huntin' riffles, y'all!

Now yer talkin'! Our young'uns spend way too much time schoolin' as it is. All they needs to do is git real good at football, then they don't need no diploma or nuthin'...

Ah'm glad y'all are startin' to see things my way, R-jay!

[c-way-dude]

There may be an opportunity for Halifax to host a CFL pre-season game in 2015, depending upon what stage the Huskie's Stadium make-over is at. The Edmonton Eskimos have already announced that they are going to play Saskatchewan in a pre-season game in Fort McMurray, Alberta, in 2015. The FIFA Women's Tournament is going to displace B.C., Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Ottawa for at least the month of June in 2015.

[cjones2451]

I also saw something on the weekend about the 2022 Commonwealth games and the Canada wanting to bid (although no city has been announced)

Does Halifax want to go through this ringer again or are people fed up with the whole process?

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

I also saw something on the weekend about the 2022 Commonwealth games and the Canada wanting to bid (although no city has been announced)

Does Halifax want to go through this ringer again or are people fed up with the whole process?

People would be willing -- but only if very clear direction from the municipal and provincial governments was to occur.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

I also saw something on the weekend about the 2022 Commonwealth games and the Canada wanting to bid (although no city has been announced)

Does Halifax want to go through this ringer again or are people fed up with the whole process?

I don't think there is any chance of Halifax being selected based on what occurred when Halifax was last selected. It would be best for Halifax to stop looking for pie in the sky opportunities and just do it - select a reasonable design, set up a building fund and start raising money towards a stadium. During the few years that it will take to raise funds then a more doable event might come along.

As the saying goes - just do it!

[Empire]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

I don't think there is any chance of Halifax being selected based on what occurred when Halifax was last selected. It would be best for Halifax to stop looking for pie in the sky opportunities and just do it - select a reasonable design, set up a building fund and start raising money towards a stadium. During the few years that it will take to raise funds then a more doable event might come along.

As the saying goes - just do it!

Allow me to suggest a fundraising kickoff Utilize the Woodside ferry as a revenue generator. From 9:30 to 3:00pm the ferry could be used as a tour boat. (yes there will be squaking and a lot of it)..

The tour would leave Lower Water and go around George's Island and back. Half of the people on board could take photos of their cruise ship as they chug by. At $15 a person I would estimate 500 patrons a day which would translate into $750,000 a season after expenses all funneled into a stadium fund.

When is HRM ever going to think outside the box?

[c-way-dude]

According to a poster on CFL.ca, CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon had a meeting last week with Mayor Savage in which Savage expressed the HRM's interest in acquiring a franchise. Apparently Cohon mentioned the meeting, along with his goal to expand the CFL to ten teams within his current five-year term, in a podcast on TSN.ca.

[ILoveHalifax]

Originally Posted by c-way-dude

According to a poster on CFL.ca, CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon had a meeting last week with Mayor Savage in which Savage expressed the HRM's interest in acquiring a franchise. Apparently Cohon mentioned the meeting, along with his goal to expand the CFL to ten teams within his current five-year term, in a podcast on TSN.ca.

I listened to the podcast on TSN. Very interesting. Savage apparently indicated we would follow the Saskatchewan model. So this would mean we would not be waiting for a major investor to start up team?
Any comments and what does everybody think?

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

I listened to the podcast on TSN. Very interesting. Savage apparently indicated we would follow the Saskatchewan model. So this would mean we would not be waiting for a major investor to start up team?
Any comments and what does everybody think?

This talk will be more believable once we begin seeing action.

The Saskatchewan model? So be it, gentlemen. Begin the process of site selections. Make a portion of the investment official. Sign the doted line of some things. Let's see progress beyond the embarrassing new articles.

The Province of Nova Scotia is looking at a balanced budget this year. I'm personally fine with the city and the province getting the cash flow started on this file without a major investor being the one to hit the ignition. Now -- of course, I'm hoping for at least smaller contributions, which would build the level of interest and perhaps eventually attract larger private investments.

Talk of the stadium still makes me nervous about its location.

In my wildest dreams, the pro-downtown Mike Savage will announce that the Cogswell Interchange will be torn down and ...in its place...Stadium Halifax will be constructed between the existing Casino and the new public transit terminal.

[someone123]

I think it all depends on the details of the arrangement and what the stadium looks like. If the stadium is reasonable and there are many partners then it could be a great deal, but it could also be a big waste of money.

In ANS an article mentioned that taxes had to be raised by 4.5% in Regina to fund the stadium. I could be wrong, but it looked to me like they meant that was the total increase on all municipal taxes for a long period of time, which to me seems completely unreasonable. Regina is a smaller city though (fewer taxpayers regardless of what the attendance is like) and I think a stadium in Halifax would have to be simpler and cheaper to start out with.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

I listened to the podcast on TSN. Very interesting. Savage apparently indicated we would follow the Saskatchewan model. So this would mean we would not be waiting for a major investor to start up team?
Any comments and what does everybody think?

Is that the Saskatchewan CFL model of community ownership or the Saskatchewan stadium model? I would guess that it is the CFL community ownership model.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by someone123

I think it all depends on the details of the arrangement and what the stadium looks like. If the stadium is reasonable and there are many partners then it could be a great deal, but it could also be a big waste of money.

In ANS an article mentioned that taxes had to be raised by 4.5% in Regina to fund the stadium. I could be wrong, but it looked to me like they meant that was the total increase on all municipal taxes for a long period of time, which to me seems completely unreasonable. Regina is a smaller city though (fewer taxpayers regardless of what the attendance is like) and I think a stadium in Halifax would have to be simpler and cheaper to start out with.

I agree. I don't think that an expensive stadium will fly in Halifax, and rightfully so. I don't think an expensive, iconic stadium will be any more enjoyable and probably won't have greater annual revenue than a well designed, lower cost stadium. The extra bells and whistles of an expensive stadium will just result in additional annual losses to amortize the higher initial capital costs.

[Barnard's Star]

Do you have a link to that podcast? I can never seem to find them. Thanks.

[ILoveHalifax]

Originally Posted by c-way-dude

According to a poster on CFL.ca, CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon had a meeting last week with Mayor Savage in which Savage expressed the HRM's interest in acquiring a franchise. Apparently Cohon mentioned the meeting, along with his goal to expand the CFL to ten teams within his current five-year term, in a podcast on TSN.ca.

Here is C-way-dude's quote.
I listened to the TSN.ca podcast (the part about Halifax is near the end) and I took it as Mayor Savage was talking about the Saskatchewan model of team ownership. I was figuring that a stadium would be a separate item and probably supported by HRM, provincial government, etc.

[c-way-dude]

www2.tsn.ca/window/podcastcentre/#id=62
The podcast is on page 2, and is titled TSN 1050 Toronto TSN Drive with Dave Naylor: Marc Cohon-June 28, 2013 6:55pm. It runs for 11:35 minutes.
I don't know that Cohon was talking about a community-owned team specifically. I think he met that the team would have to be marketed regionally, like the Roughriders are. He talked about a stadium being part of a larger development, like in Ottawa, which makes me think the team would more likely be privately-owned, and the stadium would likely be built in Shannon Park.
However, a community-owned team run as a non-profit enterprise might make it more palatable for governments to invest in. They wouldn't be seen as giving money to a private company or individual.

[Empire]

I hope Mayor Savage will use a good portion of the back taxes owed by the Feds to Halifax for the Citadel Hill re-assessment as a kick-start for a stadium fund.

[ILoveHalifax]

I have been wondering about the possibility of building a stadium on one of the Commons and in exchange when we tear down the VG that land could revert to parkland to replace the land where we would put the stadium.
Fenwick, would it fit between Cogswell and Bell Rd ?

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

I have been wondering about the possibility of building a stadium on one of the Commons and in exchange when we tear down the VG that land could revert to parkland to replace the land where we would put the stadium.
Fenwick, would it fit between Cogswell and Bell Rd ?

The Halifax Commons would be my preferred location, too.

[c-way-dude]

Originally Posted by c-way-dude

www2.tsn.ca/window/podcastcentre/#id=62
The podcast is on page 2, and is titled TSN 1050 Toronto TSN Drive with Dave Naylor: Marc Cohon-June 28, 2013 6:55pm. It runs for 11:35 minutes.
I don't know that Cohon was talking about a community-owned team specifically. I think he met that the team would have to be marketed regionally, like the Roughriders are. He talked about a stadium being part of a larger development, like in Ottawa, which makes me think the team would more likely be privately-owned, and the stadium would likely be built in Shannon Park.
However, a community-owned team run as a non-profit enterprise might make it more palatable for governments to invest in. They wouldn't be seen as giving money to a private company or individual.

I listened to the podcast again, and it does seem like Cohon is giving consideration to a community-owned team. For whatever reason, the first time that I listened to the podcast, the comparison to Ottawa is what caught my attention.
I wonder if a community-owned team would be expected to contribute to building a stadium. If so, I can't see a group being able to raise that much money. The expansion fee for a CFL franchise would likely be north of $7 million. My guess is that it would take another $10 million in start-up costs to run a team that first season.
I can't recall any community-owned expansion franchises in professional sports. I wonder if community-ownership would be a way to get the public sector to pay for a stadium, which would then attract private owners who would buy the franchise.

[ILoveHalifax]

I would think that $7 million and $10 million are not that big when it comes to raising money. Shares at $300.00 would sell quite quickly. There could be all kinds of fun promos to raise the funds. Once we start to raise the funds for the team, I would hope that our governments would build a stadium 25 million from 3 levels of government would just about cover it. We would also be talking raising the funds over a few years while the stadium was being built.