Quote:
Originally Posted by Fischbob
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...2.html?cmp=rss
Some more cold water from the CBC... I don't know if it's because they want to counterbalance the T&T's boosterism, but I don't think they've had a single neutral or positive story about the events centre at all this year.
Anyone with even an ounce of urban sense understands that the downtown option is about more than just the sticker price - it's a very important exercise in citybuilding that will have repercussions on how Moncton grows in the coming decades, and in turn will influence the downtown real estate market and the city's fiscal sustainability. Taking the long view, the $80 million difference in capital costs doesn't mean much (and may even evaporate entirely) when the downtown option's impact on annual property tax assessments is brought into the equation: this is good for the city AND the province.
Keep pushing for the downtown location, guys!
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I couldn't agree more with your assessment
Fischbob!
The coliseum
could be renovated, and probably more cheaply than building anew in the core, but this misses the point of what the mayor is trying to accomplish here.......
If the point is to have a venue capable of being attractive to top touring acts and supporting the Wildcats and Miracles, then fine, let's renovate the coliseum and be done with it. The coliseum does have an advantage in terms of abundant free parking that could never be replicated in the core.
If on the other hand, the point is to build a focal point around which future growth in the downtown core can rally, then the extra expense of building anew is more than worth it. Without the events centre, the core will continue to have a marginal future as a distressing amount of the growth in the city tends to occur in the periphery. If this continues, the downtown will eventually become more and more irrelevant to more and more city residents. It is already borderline irrelevant to many Monctonians now. I know, I live in the suburbs and I can go months without walking Main Street. It's easy enough to do. Unless I have an errand down there, I can live my life completely outside the downtown.
Is this the future I want for my city? Certainly not! I want my downtown to be meaningful. I like Main Street. I want to have more reasons for going down there. The core needs a destiny and the events centre is it! Nothing will change until it is built.......
I was downtown last night for the Canada Day activities including the free concert by Colin James in front of city hall and the fireworks display on the riverfront. Downtown has a tremendous vibe with literally tens of thousands of residents walking the streets and interacting. This is the sort of future I want for downtown Moncton. An events centre in the core will breed new economic activity and will give many people a reason to return again and live in the downtown area. This dream must be fulfilled, and will never be achieved if the coliseum is renovated.......
Which do you think is the better destiny for the city of Moncton?
Canada Day last night in Moncton. Wouldn't it be great if more days were like this? An events centre with 39-55 hockey dates per year and 20-30 basketball dates per year as well as perhaps a dozen concerts per year and other special events would certainly help in accomplishing this. Just imagine up to 100 events per year in a downtown centre that would attract people to the core. This is what we are talking about - not a renovated coliseum.....