Halifax Stadium Discussion

[pblaauw]

This just showed up in my Twitter feed. Anyone know what's going on? I don't want to wait for the late news @ 11:30

"@CTVAtlantic: Is #Halifax getting 2 new stadiums? CTV's Paul Hollingsworth has details tonight on how that very scenario may occur."

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by pblaauw

This just showed up in my Twitter feed. Anyone know what's going on? I don't want to wait for the late news @ 11:30

"@CTVAtlantic: Is #Halifax getting 2 new stadiums? CTV's Paul Hollingsworth has details tonight on how that very scenario may occur."

For the sake of the people who don't live down there, once you hear something could you post it on skyscraperpage?

[q12]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

For the sake of the people who don't live down there, once you hear something could you post it on skyscraperpage?

I'm on it fenwick as soon as it hits the airwaves.

[-Harlington-]

My guess would be that they intend to renovate saint marys as well as a new stadium, but ill be watching tonight to see for sure .

[resetcbu1]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Thanks for the information. The next time that you go to McMahon Stadium could you get some pictures. I have been able to find pictures of the stands and field on the internet, but I have been unable to find interior concourse pictures. If you could get such pictures of the interior then it would be informative for all of us (maybe even some stadium advisory committee members will see the pictures). I think the more information presented the better.

most definetly , I would imagine sometime in the next couple weeks I will take in a stamps game

[q12]

The CTV News story was about Huskies Stadium. It just states that SMU has long term plans to replace the stadium with a new 12,000 seat stadium. They said if there is no partnership with the city than this may result in the city having 2 new stadiums. Also Shannon Park was mentioned as there could be environmental problems with it as a possible location.

I think Dartmouth Crossing/Burnside is the better location in Dartmouth anyways.

So we could get a new 25,000 seat stadium built by the city and a 12,000 seat stadium for SMU.

[fenwick16]

Originally Posted by q12

The CTV News story was about Huskies Stadium. It just states that SMU has long term plans to replace the stadium with a new 12,000 seat stadium. They said if there is no partnership with the city than this may result in the city having 2 new stadiums. Also Shannon Park was mentioned as there could be environmental problems with it as a possible location.

I think Dartmouth Crossing/Burnside is the better location in Dartmouth anyways.

So we could get a new 25,000 seat stadium built by the city and a 12,000 seat stadium for SMU.

Thanks for the update q12.

It is interesting that SMU is proposing a 12,000 seat stadium. I have mixed feelings on this one; sharing a stadium between the CFL and SMU seems to be the best solution but I can't see SMU wanting to play their games in Dartmouth, and the SMU stadium layout isn't large enough to permit a CFL size stadium.

It is too bad that SMU wouldn't be a true partner with the municipality by proposing a stadium that could also be used for the CFL. It seems as though they are saying that they will be a partner with the municipality but only if the municipality gives up any dream of having a CFL team. In order for the SMU stadium layout to be large enough, I think the Tower Centre would require a major renovation.

PS: How about the Cogswell interchange area for a stadium? It might be a good location for both a CFL team and SMU (and possibly Dalhousie University in the future). It could have an open endzone with a view of downtown Halifax. It is surrounded by thousands of parking spots that have free parking space when sports events and concerts are scheduled. It has the best transit connections in the municipality. It has shown that it can handle several thousand office workers and dockyard workers.

Although the federal government won't pledge money for a stadium, maybe they would provide money to tear down the interchange(?)

[Phalanx]

That would be a bad location given that it would likely be a very open (relatively cheap) stadium - not suited to downtown areas - and the interchange area is one of the few areas downtown where tall buildings can be built, and a stadium would eat into that pretty dramatically.

[wespidel]

A head person from Saint Marys was interviewed on CTV local news and he indicated that they want Halifax to build their FIFA bid stadium at Saint Marys which I been telling you all along on this site. They want a free gift only for their interests, not the city`s and not the region. That is why they want Halifax to build a 10 to 12 thousand permanent seat stadium at Saint Marys and then they will expand it to 20 thousand with temporary seats for the FIFA World Cup games. So there you go people, there is your Sue Uteck speical, so Saint Marys will get back the Uteck Bowl in 5 years from Moncton and maybe a Vanier Cup down the road and to honest I think this is probably what is going to happen and personally I believe the steering stadium committee was a waste of money and time and a total embarrassment to the sports and entertainment fan in the region. The whole thing is a joke!

The only chance that a modestly priced stadium major with all the latest amenities and capacity needed, can be built in Halifax for 2014, is if Premier Dexter steps up at the plate in major way and gives back to the public which he should if he wants to gain any votes, which he needs desperately! If Premier Dexter really wants to showcase our region and wants Halifax to be a player on a National and Global scale and he really wants to showcase Halifax to the rest of Canada as the sports and entertainment capital of the Atlantic region, then he will have to want to build a major stadium and he doesn`t and chooses to insult and embarrass our city and region, he will build a mickey mouse Sue Uteck speical and become even more unpopular! Those are basicly Halifax`s and Dexter`s govt. two choices!

[worldlyhaligonian]

F SMU getting a gift in the form of a stadium, if anything it should be full size permanent with multi-university access. Isn't Dal a bigger school than SMU anyway? Wouldn't this be sort of an unfair handout? (I didn't go to either school.)

[worldlyhaligonian]

Oh yeah, and to use the classic NIMBY excuse... what about parking? It would be impossible to do this on SMU campus.

[worldlyhaligonian]

Additionally, I bet the group(s) trying to unseat Kelly are AGAINST a stadium.

[fenwick16]

I can see many advantages to having a stadium on the SMU campus if it is built large enough to also host a CFL team. A few CFL teams are using university stadiums - Calgary, Winnipeg (the new stadium), and Montreal (Percival Molson Stadium). The Tower Centre would have to be integrated with the stands on one side.

If SMU will allow a CFL size stadium on their campus then I think it might be the best location since it will get the maximum amount of use and not be considered to be a white elephant. It is hard to imagine having a fairly large SMU stadium and a large municipal stadium competing for events.

On the other hand if the HRM becomes a partner with a SMU stadium that is too small to host the CFL then people in the HRM will still want a separate municipal stadium.

[q12]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Additionally, I bet the group(s) trying to unseat Kelly are AGAINST a stadium.

Here's your answer to who may be behind it.

MLA calls council 'worst ever'
By Ruth Davenport
Jun 29, 2011 05:59:31 AM
http://www.news957.com
http://www.news957.com/news/local/ar...cil-worst-ever
One former city councillor says this is the "worst council" he's seen in more than 30 years.

Howard Epstein, who is now an NDP MLA, came to Tuesday's "Step Down Kelly" rally.

The former councillor says he keeps a close eye on council and is disappointed by the turmoil displayed in the wake of the concert cash scandal.

However, Epstein tells Metro Halifax that while some recent events appear to be "highly illegal," it's not the right time for the province to step in and dissolve council.

The MLA's attendance at the rally fueled speculation he's considering a run for mayor - but Epstein says that while he hasn't ruled it out, he won't make a final decision for many months.

Epstein as Mayor would probably be the end of development and skyscrapers as we know it. No Stadium, no convention centre.

[someone123]

Mayors don't have that much power, and I'm pretty sure Epstein would quickly manage to piss off just about the whole council. He seems to like grandstanding more than considering differing opinions.

[Antigonish]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

Thanks for the update q12.

It is interesting that SMU is proposing a 12,000 seat stadium. I have mixed feelings on this one; sharing a stadium between the CFL and SMU seems to be the best solution but I can't see SMU wanting to play their games in Dartmouth, and the SMU stadium layout isn't large enough to permit a CFL size stadium.

It is too bad that SMU wouldn't be a true partner with the municipality by proposing a stadium that could also be used for the CFL. It seems as though they are saying that they will be a partner with the municipality but only if the municipality gives up any dream of having a CFL team. In order for the SMU stadium layout to be large enough, I think the Tower Centre would require a major renovation.

PS: How about the Cogswell interchange area for a stadium? It might be a good location for both a CFL team and SMU (and possibly Dalhousie University in the future). It could have an open endzone with a view of downtown Halifax. It is surrounded by thousands of parking spots that have free parking space when sports events and concerts are scheduled. It has the best transit connections in the municipality. It has shown that it can handle several thousand office workers and dockyard workers.

Although the federal government won't pledge money for a stadium, maybe they would provide money to tear down the interchange(?)

I used to play football at SMU and to make them move their games to Burnside or where ever would damage the program. At least half our fans were students on campus or on the sidestreets, who otherwise wouldn't bother going. It would really hurt the gates. Also the dressing rooms and facilities are already there.

If they were going to build two stadiums them I'm all for it. If they chose a CFL style one, and a renovation to Huskie Stadium I'm all for it. If they put all the taxpayer money into only a SMU stadium then I would be pretty upset. The program is in good hands finacially, and the amount of support ($$$) from alumini is also there so if worse came to worse then SMU would just finance their stadium on their own.

In the end of the day Halifax needs a 25,000 plus stadium and that should be council's main priority.

[Keith P.]

The SMU campus is too small for the decrepit stadium they currently have, so i dunno why anyone would suggest a bigger one would be just fine. They should build whatever they need on the Gorsebrook lands across the street but it should not the be HRM "FIFA" stadium, which I now believe needs to be elsewhere.

[someone123]

I agree. It seems to make way more sense for SMU to fix up their small stadium for a few million dollars and then to have the second FIFA stadium somewhere else.

[fenwick16]

A few days ago, there was an article in the allnovascotia.com about the relatively small number of people who turned up for the stadium open houses (about a hundred in total). Also there are only a hundred followers of the Halifax Stadium Twitter account (http://twitter.com/#!/halifaxstadium). The article in the allnovascotia.com was titled Stadium's Business Case Not Sexy Enough - June 30th, 2011 by Amy Pugsley Frazer.

A few people from the advisory committee were asked for the reason for the low numbers at the open houses, and they seemed to think that it was because it is just the business plan stage. I tend to agree, I think the next phase (stadium design phase) will be of more interest. I also think that many people still don't believe that a stadium will be built (since it has been talked about since 1982). One tell-tale sign is that Bruce DeVenne and other naysayers haven't jumped on board yet with endless articles and comments against building it (surely we would have heard more from these people by now).

What are the opinions of others on this forum - of the people that you know, how much interest is there in a stadium for the Halifax area? How many people, other than ones on this forum, actually realize that a study is currently being conducted on building a Halifax area stadium?

[someone123]

Originally Posted by fenwick16

What are the opinions of others on this forum - of the people that you know, how much interest is there in a stadium for the Halifax area?

I know a few people in the "that would be nice" camp.

Council is constantly "studying" dozens of things at any given time and few of them are ever implemented. I understand why somebody might not want to take time to go to a public meeting at this stage.

Not many people would have gone to a library meeting a few years ago, but the public consultations were pretty successful when they had architects and were discussing features.