Hamilton - Pan Ams Games 2015 [Archive] - Page 5

omro

Mar 4, 2009, 7:21 PM

Sam Merulla chimes in: 'Let's build a stadium!' (http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/523623)

The Hamilton Spectator
(Mar 4, 2009)

Within moments of yesterday's news that U.S. Steel Canada is shutting down its Hamilton and Lake Erie operations, Councillor Sam Merulla sent out a one-line press release.

"Let's build a stadium!!!!!!!" said the e-mail from the councillor, who opposed the city spending $60-million to build a Pan Am Games stadium and velodrome.

Councillor Bob Bratina quickly e-mailed: "This is not a matter for smug jokes."

Merulla replied: "Not a joke my friend!!!!!! It's reality. Wake up. It's just the beginning!!!!!!!"

A journalist from Canwest replied to the mass e-mails, asking: "Would you two call each other instead of wasting everyone else's time. Thanks."

Merulla replied, "Good point," and later ended the exchange with:

"Good point but it just occurred to me that Mr. Bratina doesn't return my calls and he voted to silence me at council last Wednesday. Ergo good point if and only if and because and only because the other party would want the truth to be told."

Is it my imagination or does this email from Mr Merulla come across as rather petty, seeing as the stadium currently only has a provisional go ahead dependent on actually winning the Pan-Am bid?

highwater

Mar 4, 2009, 9:04 PM

Watch for this Di Cristofaro fellow.

Steel fabricator says no to T.O., he'll develop stadium site himself
March 04, 2009
Paul Wilson
The Hamilton Spectator
(Mar 4, 2009)

Business is great for Vince Di Cristofaro. Not so long ago, revenues for his company were about $10 million a year. Today they're topping $25 million.

And now it's time to move the business out of the neighbourhood, off Queen Street North.

"I'm forward thinking," Di Cristofaro says. "I don't wait for things to happen to me."

He sees that new stadium coming, right across the street. "Whether it's for the Pan Am games or later, it's inevitable."

He's not angry. He thinks the 30-acre West Harbour location -- north of Barton, between Bay and Queen -- is ideal.

For years he's been wondering when this land of contaminated factory ruins was going to get cleaned up. Placing a stadium here could take care of that.

But it would also leave him as the last industry in this part of town, on the stadium's very doorstep. That, he is sure, just wouldn't make sense.

His 11 acres, west side of Queen, Barton to the CN marshalling yards that line the shore, have been factory forever. In 1861, the Great Western Railway put up a huge timbered building on the site to reroll worn out rails.

Stelco took over in 1910. Men were men in this hot, noisy place. They were the roughers, catchers, stranders. Old pros with tongs could turn a one-ton length of hot steel.

When Stelco closed the operation in 1990, it was the last hand rolling mill in North America.

Vince and his father Andy came by seven years later and brought the decayed corpse back to life. They spent $3 million and established Hamilton Metal Works.

Vince, 38 and now president, shifted gears a few years ago. The company had been making large pieces of equipment from scratch, such as the five-storey arm used to test Airbus engines in Mississippi.

"We were never making the same thing twice," Di Cristofaro says. "We were discovering the wheel over and over."

So now the emphasis is on the new company on the same premises, AVL Manufacturing (children Andrew and Victoria and wife Lisa). AVL gets fabricating shops within a 50-kilometre radius of Hamilton to make the custom components, which are then assembled into finished product at the plant.

Big hydraulic power units are being put together there right now, each worth about $500,000. They'll be shipped to Russia, Australia, Brazil, wherever there's oil and gas drilling to be done.

This approach to business means Di Cristofaro could get by with less space. And he's always been aware this land by the water could serve a higher purpose.

The stadium is not a sure thing for the area. Some worry about surrounding streets being clogged with cars on event days.

But David Adames, head of Tourism Hamilton, says the city could copy Edmonton, where nonresident parking is restricted in a wide swath around Commonwealth Stadium on game days.

And last year, that city started a program that provides free service on Light Rail Transit, the Park & Ride shuttle and regular transit for two hours before and after each home game to anyone holding an Eskimo ticket.

A new stadium on the Hamilton waterfront is supposed to be different. Ivor Wynne is all "inward," Adames says, where you just go through the gate and there you stay. "But we want the new one to connect to the outside."

He says a "respectful" public consultation will probably begin soon, even though it will be fall before Ontario learns if the Pan Am games are coming here.

Adames says city plans don't yet include doing anything with the land on which the Di Cristofaro enterprise sits. "But we do want to look at the long-term picture for this West Harbour area, perhaps with links to Dundurn Castle and on to the RBG."

Di Cristofaro thinks the same way. He would start by moving his operation away from that precious waterfront, but not out of town. "I was born in Hamilton and Hamilton is where I'm staying."

Once that stadium is across the street, he would become a developer and knock down his old buildings. He sees a walkway meandering across his hillside property towards the castle, new condos and restaurants along the way.

There have been calls from Toronto land speculators. Di Cristofaro tells them he's a Hamilton guy and that he's in this for the long haul. "I will never sell this property."

StreetBeat appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

pwilson@thespec.com

905-526-3391

thistleclub

Mar 12, 2009, 12:34 AM

Adorably quaint!

Burlington Post: City’s $3.1-M share of Pan Am Games stadium not budgeted (http://www.burlingtonpost.com/news/article/241246)

Burlington stands to receive a $7 million, 1,500-2,500-permanent-seat stadium at Sherwood Forest Park as part of Ontario’s bid for the 2015 Pan American Games.

The municipality would be responsible for $3.1 million of the cost of the stadium that city staff says would create a legacy to be enjoyed by residents for years to come.

urban_planner

Mar 12, 2009, 1:27 AM

SteelTown

Mar 12, 2009, 11:11 AM

Braley goes to bat for Hamilton
B.C. Lions owner one of 15 directors named to Pan Am Games bid board

March 12, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/528697

Hamilton has its man on the Pan Am Games bid board.

David Braley was one of 15 directors announced yesterday who will advise Toronto 2015 executives as they fashion the Golden Horseshoe bid.

"As David Peterson said at one time, I'll be in there fighting for Hamilton's interests," Braley said.

Bid chair Peterson said in a statement Braley and the others form "a very high-quality board, which will strengthen our bid."

The auto-parts businessman is a prime mover in pursuing the Games.

"I think I bring the ability to help plan and organize to the effort to win the bid," Braley said.

A bid backgrounder on the board identified him as a figure planted firmly in the business and sports worlds.

Braley owns the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League and headed the highly successful 2003 Road World Cycling Championships in Hamilton.

"That's something we pushed for," said Mayor Fred Eisenberger. "We wanted him because of his passion for Hamilton and his ability in both business and sports."

Braley is familiar with many other board members, principally those with the Canadian Olympic Committee.

COC president Mike Chambers and Chris Rudge have strong international connections and former Olympian Charmaine Crooks worked with Braley on the 2003 Worlds.

"She's a wonderful person, bilingual and understands the needs of athletes," Braley said.

He pointed out the Pan Am board includes members with connections in the Caribbean and South America, where 39 of the 42 countries in the Pan Am movement are located.

Alvin Curling, former speaker of the Ontario legislature, was born in Jamaica and served as ambassador to the Dominican Republic.

And Marcio Froes, president of Labatt Breweries, is from Brazil and enjoys a network through parent company Interbrew, the biggest beer maker in South America.

Former Hamilton Spectator and Toronto Star publisher Jagoda Pike, Toronto 2015 president, is also on the board. She was in transit to Guadalajara, Mexico, for meetings of the executive board of the Pan American Sports Organization.

Prior to leaving, she said Toronto 2015 would make a 15-minute presentation to PASO executive.

She also hoped to tour venues being built for the 2011 Games in Guadalajara.

Pike said the southern Ontario bid is in a tough competition with Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia.

It's possible the PASO meetings will determine site evaluation visits and the precise date for a vote on the 2015 Games.

Bid books detailing how the three cities will conduct the Games are due April 30.

Hamilton would stage track and field, cycling, volleyball and soccer events for the Pan Am Games, plus have a training pool at McMaster University.

SteelTown

Apr 15, 2009, 11:04 AM

Braley on Pan Ams: get out the vote

April 15, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/548589

Winning is everything, especially when it delivers an impressive array of sports and recreation facilities for Hamilton.

That's David Braley's theme as he prepares for the first Pan American Games board meeting today.

"You can have a great bid book and nice presentation, but you must have the votes," says the auto-parts magnate. "You have to try to get close to every voting delegate and make sure you can deliver at least one more vote than the competition."

At stake for Hamilton is almost $200 million in new building, covering a stadium for track and field and football, velodrome and 50-metre pool for McMaster University.

So Braley will have a keen eye on the international lobbying element when the Toronto 2015 board gets down to business in Toronto.

Businessman Ivan de Souza, of Toronto, agrees that is a critical part of the bid process.

"I have many contacts in South America and the Caribbean and will be doing whatever I can to build support," said the president of Investcan Inc.

Another board member, Debbie Low of the Canadian Sport Centre Toronto, understands the wooing of votes well. She worked on the Toronto 2008 Olympic bid in the wake of the Salt Lake City bidding scandal.

She operated under the new IOC (International Olympic Committee) rules which meant you couldn't bring delegates to your city.

"A key element will be finding virtual ways to bring our cities and facilities to the people who will vote."

Toronto 2015 faces Bogota, Colombia, and Lima, Peru, in the competition for the Games. Voting is expected in early November.

While much of the first board meeting will cover housekeeping matters such as confirming corporate structure, bid chair David Peterson hoped to progress as far as establishing subcommittees in various areas of the bid. Braley and others will also get a briefing on the bid book due April 30.

That signals a new stage for the bidding process, with an evaluation team to follow up on the detailed submission in early summer.

Braley has a special interest in that group being inspired by the bid and Hamilton's part in it. He was key to the early stages of promoting a bid spanning southern Ontario.

And when two of the three facilities slated for Hamilton were about to be dropped due to a $300-million budget cut, he was hands on.

The Orlick Industries president saw the bid sliding sideways, claiming a temporary pool and velodrome to accommodate the budget was no way to win a bid.

He called for a summit of senior government and sports figures to find a way to restore the permanent facilities.

While an actual summit didn't happen, sources in national sports organizations say his influence helped get the pool for McMaster and velodrome for the west harbour site back into the plans.

SteelTown

Apr 27, 2009, 11:13 AM

Pan Am: The distance factor
Hamilton's proposed facilities and Scarborough's aquatic centre possible flaws in Games bid

April 27, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
TORONTO
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/555426

The 2015 Pan Am Games brass unveiled the proposed athlete's village yesterday and dismissed criticism that Hamilton's track, cycling, swim and volleyball facilities were too far afield.

The village site in the West Don Lands area is consistent with past Games in terms of distance and time to transport athletes to major facilities, said Chris Rudge, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Some media reports identified the locations of Hamilton's proposed West Harbour stadium and Scarborough's aquatic centre as possible damaging flaws in the bid.

Toronto 2015, which spans an area from Welland to Oshawa, was always intended as a wide footprint, Rudge pointed out.

He noted Rio 2007 had a track facility about 40 minutes from its athlete's village.

"It's a bit of a concern but the next Games in Guadalajara (Mexico) have some major facilities that are more than 100 kilometres away. We'll be better than that and consistent with Rio."

Rudge said time is more important than distance and dedicated traffic lanes and special trains make Hamilton a quick trip.

The Spec tried a dry run yesterday without the benefit of dedicated lanes all Games employ and covered the 65.3-kilometre distance in 38 minutes. Moreover, Ontario's deputy premier used the timely passing of a GO train to illustrate another option.

George Smitherman said the athlete's village, in Toronto's Distillery district, could have its own station and the Hamilton stadium site is convenient to a GO route.

"This rail line goes right by the Hamilton stadium and once we win the bid, these are features we can add."

The Minister of Energy and Infrastructure said the Steeltown sports venues are a key element to the bid within a regional concept.

Bid chair David Peterson said the 2015 plan, which will be submitted in a bid book Thursday, is compact and will speed athletes to venues through those priority traffic lanes and express trains.

"It's not an issue. Hamilton has been part of our dream from the beginning and we're very happy with the package we've come up with."

Peterson said the athletes village, which would accommodate up to 8,500 competitors and officials, is one of the bid's strongest components.

"Athletes villages can be controversial, hard to build and expensive. But the fact we've already started the development process at this site is a big positive. When the evaluation team comes this summer, they'll see equipment at work, not just for show."

The bid would contribute $100 million of its $1.4-billion budget to the village, which would become a mix of market and social housing after the Games.

The 32.4-hectare (80-acre) site is owned by the provincial government, the main driver behind the Games, and is part of Waterfront Toronto's revitalization plan.

A successful Games bid would accelerate the clean-up and development of the site by several years.

But it requires private-sector participation to realize.

The village is portrayed in the bid book as a series of 14- to 20-story buildings with central facilities, a 7.3-hectare (18-acre) park and training track and pool.

After submission of bid books to the Pan American Sports Organization this week, evaluation teams will visit the three bidding cities. The southern Ontario bid is up against Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia, with a vote due in early November.

SteelTown

Apr 28, 2009, 11:28 AM

Pan Am bids delayed

JAMES CHRISTIE
April 28, 2009
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090428.PANAM28ART2301/TPStory/Sports

The outbreak of swine flu in Mexico has infected the sports world.

The delivery of bid books by candidates for the 2015 Pan American Games, which was to take place last Thursday in Mexico, has been postponed by Mario Vasquez Rana, president of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO).

The delay of the formal presentation of bid plans by Lima, Bogota and Toronto came on the heels of a decision by the continental soccer authority, CONCACAF, to cancel the remaining rounds of its under-17 championship in Tijuana, Mexico, because of concerns about swine flu. A statement from the soccer body said the tournament was abandoned "to safeguard the health of players, officials and fans."

Officials of the Toronto Pan Am bid were expecting to present one of the books to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty this week, then jump on a plane to Mexico City.

"We don't have the new date yet, but it's all wrapped up and ready to go," said David Peterson, chairman of the Toronto-branded bid, which stretches across Southern Ontario and north to cottage country. "Postponing is probably the prudent thing to do."

The delay in lodging the bid books gives the Toronto bid team a chance to polish its presentation of the athlete village, whose location was revealed on Sunday - the West Don Lands, east of downtown Toronto, on the shore of Lake Ontario. It was the front-running stand-alone site, though bid organizers has explored using dormitory space at York University in Toronto and McMaster University in Hamilton.

The Toronto site, if the 2015 Pan Am Games are awarded to the city, will be the temporary home of about 8,500 athletes. About 2,000 housing units for residents with a mixture of incomes would be the legacy. It is the same location, once called Ataratiri, that was pitched for the village in Toronto's bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

"[The Ontario government] acquired that land at a good price when I was premier and now it's undergoing remediation," Peterson said. "It would have been developed at some time, anyway, but this could speed it up. Waterfront Toronto and everyone else saw its potential ... and the voting members [of the 42 Pan American countries] are looking for a plan that will be solid and leave a legacy. They don't want to vote for you and see you change your mind."

Peterson said the designation of the east-end Toronto site would not encumber Toronto's chances to get the Pan American Games.

"We have train lines right along the lake and there will be dedicated highway lanes," he said. "Other Games have been more stretched out."

It's the second delay to hit the Pan Am bidding process. PASO pushed its meeting for the selection of a 2015 host back from August to its meetings in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Oct. 7 to 12. There are reports it could be bumped later still.

Janbe

May 20, 2009, 4:41 AM

What are the chances of this Golden horse shoe bid winning.

SteelTown

May 27, 2009, 3:19 PM

Bid book will be submitted tomorrow at Mexico City, therefore, we'll see all the details of the bid tomorrow including visions and renderings.

SteelTown

May 27, 2009, 5:05 PM

Stadium
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/Appster/stadium-1.jpg

Velodrome
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/Appster/Velodrome.jpg

Pool (though this one looks like it's from Markham, guess why haha)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v174/Appster/Pool.jpg

realcity

May 27, 2009, 8:12 PM

What are the chances of this Golden horse shoe bid winning.

we will no doubt have the strongest bid,,, but too many of these votes are political, not judged on merit.

Look at Hamilton vs Delhi. Our bid smoked theirs, and now it looks worrisome if Delhi will even be able get it together in time.

Then again, Hamilton was stronger then Halifax but Canada chose Halifax to represent Canada's bid and then they bailed.

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 2:34 AM

Pan Am Games bid adds muscle with outreach

May 27, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/572336

TORONTO — Branding, bonding and a Hamilton-inspired outreach program were the key themes as the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games bid book was unveiled today.

The launch of the 233-page document backed up the sales pitch that southern Ontario is the must market for the Games movement to reinvent itself in North America.

There was a strong emphasis on the athlete experience, with young people gathering in a region rich in international flavours.

Moreover, a potential vote-clincher in the competition to win the Games and attendant Parapan Games is a program building on a born-in-Steeltown initiative from the city’s two Commonwealth Games bids.

The four-point plan will help athletes and coaches from smaller countries among the 42-member Pan American Sports Organization, or PASO, come to Canada and enjoy training and coaching help in advance of the Games. It would involve athlete scholarships, clinics, and sports administration and marketing workshops.

“If everything else is equal, it could be a tipping point,” said Mike Chambers of the Canadian Olympic Committee. “I’ve never seen something like this in a bid which was backed up with a real budget.”

Chambers, who sits on the 2015 Pan Am board and is an executive member of PASO, called it a “foundational and persuasive” element of Toronto 2015, which spans municipalities from Oshawa to Welland.

Hamilton’s 2010 Commonwealth Games bid proposed that athletes and coaches from smaller countries could come to McMaster University for training, coaching and sports medicine opportunities.

“This is unique to our bid in this competition and most PASO countries say it is one area they can benefit from,” Chambers said. “They’re going to want that leading up to 2015. It could make the difference in the competition, it’s that important.”

The southern Ontario bid faces competition from Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia.

Chambers said it is vital the money to support the programs is in Toronto 2015’s $1.4-billion Games budget, as other bids have made vague promises with no financial accounting.

Chambers was on the evaluation committee that looked at Rio de Janeiro and San Antonio, Texas, for the 2007 Games, which Rio won, and noted the American bid failed to back up with money its offer of help to other nations.

While the Toronto 2015 bid book did not break out funding, Chambers said it was clearly there for the program.

Bid president Jagoda Pike said the new opportunities program grew out of the Commonwealth Games experience, as Hamilton’s bid leaders saw the inequities among countries.

“There was a huge discrepancy between big, rich countries and smaller countries that really need help with sport development,” she said. “It’s the same with PASO. Some national sports organizations don’t aspire to win more medals, they aspire to win a medal.”

In fact, some PASO countries have never won a single medal, she said.

“What we’re hearing from delegates is, ‘Help us take our game up before the Games,’ so these programs would be a pre-Games legacy run in the four years leading up to the Games.”

Gymnast Alexandra Orlando, who has competed in Pan Am and Olympic Games, said the program is unique.

“This is such a great opportunity to help athletes from those countries grow. They’re incredibly talented but don’t have the resources to back them up.”

A successful bid would deliver Hamilton a $100-million stadium for athletics and an $11-million velodrome for the West Harbour location at Barton and Tiffany streets.

McMaster would get a $35-million pool suitable for international competition.

Hamilton would stage track and field, track cycling, volleyball at Copps Coliseum and soccer at Mac’s Ron Joyce Stadium. Burlington would host early-round soccer at Sherwood Forest Park. The Mac pool would be for training.

When the bid book was presented to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty today, he said it was important to stress why he championed the Games, citing the link between sports, recreation and health.

“We want our kids to be inspired by our amateur athletes,” he said. “We want more kids from all backgrounds pursuing amateur sports. And we want our kids to be healthy.”

He also cited 15,000 construction jobs, many in Hamilton, and a $1-billion athletes’ village in Toronto’s West Donlands that will provide market and low-income housing.

In Bogota, Mayor Samuel Moreno lauded his city’s bid, which he said had all facilities in a six-kilometre zone, and criticized Toronto 2015’s spread-out plan.

But GamesBids.com quoted him as conceding Bogota’s altitude of 2,650 metres was a disadvantage.

realcity

May 28, 2009, 3:32 AM

I just wish Pike wasn't involved. I'm sure she's qualified... but I think the Spec started to tank on her watch.

Bogota mayor is right. our 'spread-out plan' is going to be a challenge for us.

Janbe

May 28, 2009, 4:57 AM

This bid isvery strong, we have an excellent shot at winning the games. We have to sell this, that the Golden Horse shoe region is the best to host the games.

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 11:14 AM

http://media.hamiltonspectator.topscms.com/images/65/f2/6c8a329847d0a32e7a2d0e3188f3.jpeg

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 12:47 PM

I like how they got the lower bowl part below ground level. Just imagine all the soil removed from the site.

Obviously the Ti-Cats and others will be responsible for funding the upper bowl part for the right side.

Personally I think the phase 2 of the stadium (more seats) should happen at the same time since it would probably save money (keep the same contractor and equipments).

emge

May 28, 2009, 2:03 PM

If the Ti-Cats want to get into a new stadium as fast as possible and there's sufficient construction time, I'm sure that could be worked out.

realcity

May 28, 2009, 3:55 PM

Why is this only 15,000 seats? If it can't be 30,000 this will definitely be a white elephant.

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 4:10 PM

Taxpayers will only fund for a stadium up to 15,000 seats. The rest of the money must come from the private sector (naming rights) and dontations.

FairHamilton

May 28, 2009, 5:55 PM

Taxpayers will only fund for a stadium up to 15,000 seats. The rest of the money must come from the private sector (naming rights) and dontations.

No, I think a more realistic statement would be; Provincial taxpayers will only fund to 15,000 seats. The city will have to pay the additional and hope to cover a portion (most likely small, i.e. less than 50%) of that additional from the private sector.

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 6:17 PM

realcity

May 28, 2009, 8:37 PM

$55 mil to get the stadium to 30,000?
Maybe Ecklund can pay for that......pfssst :rolleyes:

15,000 seat stadium is useless after the Games.

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 8:47 PM

$157 million for a 15,000 seat stadium.

FairHamilton

May 28, 2009, 8:53 PM

^ That's incorrect

Stadium - $102 million from feds and province | $55 million from the City
Velodrome - $11.4 million from feds and province | $5 million from the City

$60 million out of the Hamilton Future Fund.

Well it's pretty close. The only thing really incorrect is the Feds are going to also contribute some cash. The HFF is the City's (our) money, so the city is still covering the $60M.

I would expect they'll recover some (minor portion) from naming and other rights.

Anyone know how much is currently in the HFF? I know in 2008 they weren't considering fund requests as they were in a replenishment phase. Will they have enough to cover a full $60M?

FairHamilton

May 28, 2009, 8:56 PM

$157 million for a 15,000 seat stadium.

My understanding the $160M price tag was for a stadium with additional capacity. $100M for a 15,000 seat stadium.

I'll do some looking to refresh my memory.

FairHamilton

May 28, 2009, 8:57 PM

Found this; http://thespec.com/article/502527

By Feb. 9, city council will need to review detailed studies of three sites and OK $94 million in spending to get a $150-million facility with 24,000 to 27,000 seats.

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 9:00 PM

HFF isn't our money as taxpayer fund it's money from dividends declared from Hamilton Hydro.

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 9:02 PM

Found this; http://thespec.com/article/502527

That was back when it was expected the Pan Am committee would fund a 27,000 seat stadium. It was revealed days later they would only fund a 15,000 seat stadium.

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 9:04 PM

Read this report from council to understand the funding and size of the stadium.

The report to counci......

http://www.myhamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/043C0F26-B39C-417E-B10B-BB2DD290FF0D/0/Feb23CM09006BusinessCaseStadiumFeb1709FINAL.pdf

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 10:36 PM

drpgq

May 28, 2009, 10:45 PM

Wow those sightlines are really going to suck compared to Ivor Wynne.

omro

May 28, 2009, 11:15 PM

Obviously a roof was deemed too expensive, even though it would give the facility great potential for future year round usage?

SteelTown

May 28, 2009, 11:18 PM

They'll be a bubble on the field during the winter, therefore it'll be used year round.

Remember USL will be part of this stadium. Bob Young has stated that he'll go after a USL franchise.

FairHamilton

May 29, 2009, 1:02 AM

HFF isn't our money as taxpayer fund it's money from dividends declared from Hamilton Hydro.

Yes, I'm very much aware of where the money came from, but to say it's not our money is wrong.

Who receives dividends? Ah yes, those that own an asset. The City received a dividend from an asset it owned, the power utility Hamilton Hydro. We owned the asset so that money is ours as taxpayers, period. Even if we didn't fund it directly, it's our money.

If you think that money is not not our money who's do you think it is? This is just semantics now.

SteelTown

May 29, 2009, 1:13 AM

Whatever retained earning Hamilton Hydro get is from sales revenues and that's the source of the dividends.

FairHamilton

May 29, 2009, 1:20 AM

Whatever retained earning Hamilton Hydro get is from sales revenues and that's the source of the dividends.

And it's paid to the city, so it's our money. Just like if I own shares in a bank, they make their money, and pay me a dividend for me to spend how I see fit. Once the dividend is paid to me it's my money.

Once the City receives a dividend it's the taxpayers to spend in some way. Again you are arguing semantics. Just because its not coming from property taxes doesn't mean it's not taxpayers. Once it's in the City's control, it's our money.

SteelTown

May 29, 2009, 1:36 AM

I'm saying the Fund isn't coming from taxpayer money, it's coming from Hamilton Hydro dividends.

realcity

May 29, 2009, 1:47 AM

How much of the HFF is left? I thought council dipped into it already... almost depleting it. Adding to the 'paybables' of the City.???

realcity

May 29, 2009, 1:50 AM

A more clearer rendering...

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/hammer396/panamstadium.jpg

This would be way better if the the two sides were symetrical.... both had two decks and the half roof... and there was end-zone seats...just on the lower deck. make it a round bowl.. Otherwise this looks like a US High School football field.

If each deck holds 5,000 then adding another upper deck on the east side and one lower deck on each endzone would make it 30,000.... PERFECT

realcity

May 29, 2009, 1:52 AM

anyone living in Sobel Towers *10 floors and up* will be able to watch a game with binocs

SteelTown

May 29, 2009, 1:58 AM

^ it's just a rendering/vision, nothing final.

The fund is like an investment. The fund has stocks from various companies and not just Hamilton Hydro. What's the current value of the fund? I don't know.

SteelTown

May 29, 2009, 2:03 AM

If we get more cash for 30,000 seats it would look like this....

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/dahammer/CommonwealthStadium.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/dahammer/Commonwealth.jpg

It's just a recycled rendering from the previous Commonwealth bid but cuts made to the seat numbers.

Gurnett71

May 29, 2009, 2:05 AM

Wow those sightlines are really going to suck compared to Ivor Wynne.

I wonder if, after the Games are done (provided we win the right to host the Games in the first place), some seating can be placed a little closer to the field to make the stadium a little more Ticat friendly, a nod to IWS.

Would still look good location wise when Ticat games are broadcast across Canada-scenes of the west waterfront-no more shots of the steel factories and the flames belching out of the smokestacks reinforcing the industrial sterotype of the city. Then again, I kind of liked those shots portraying the grittiness of the Hammer.

FairHamilton

May 29, 2009, 2:07 AM

I'm saying the Fund isn't coming from taxpayer money, it's coming from Hamilton Hydro dividends.

Which once it's paid to City of Hamilton it's taxpayer money. If we use that money for one thing, it's not available for something else. It's called opportunity cost.

And with that I'm done with this thread.

SteelTown

May 29, 2009, 2:12 AM

I wonder if, after the Games are done (provided we win the right to host the Games in the first place), some seating can be placed a little closer to the field to make the stadium a little more Ticat friendly, a nod to IWS.

Would still look good location wise when Ticat games are broadcast across Canada-scenes of the west waterfront-no more shots of the steel factories and the flames belching out of the smokestacks reinforcing the industrial sterotype of the city. Then again, I kind of liked those shots portraying the grittiness of the Hammer.

The City could add temporary seats on the track so fans can get closer to the field.

I hope the City will keep the warm up track after the Games. In the last Commonwealth bid that warm up track would turn into a parking lot.

bigguy1231

May 29, 2009, 7:25 AM

The HFF which was originally $137 million was split into 2 seperate branches. The first worth $37 million was for immediate spending on various projects. The second amount $100 million has been invested. Only the interest on that investment is spent each year. The $100 million amount is basically the amount the city still has. The reason they are not granting any money this year is because they purposely overspent last year. So they need to bring the amount back up to the $100 million level. That will be achieved through earned interest from investments. Once they get back to that amount they will hand out yearly grants again based on earnings from the investments. That should be next year.

Hope that helps, I got most of the info from the HFF page on the finance departments web page.

BCTed

May 29, 2009, 9:01 AM

A more clearer rendering...

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/hammer396/panamstadium.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/hammer396/panamstadium1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/hammer396/panamvelodrome.jpg

You can read the entire bid book here...........
http://www.gamesbids.net/library/applicant_files/2015/Toronto2015BB.pdf

It's tough to say for sure, but the stadium in that picture looks like a fair bit more than 15,000 seats to me. In fact, it looks fairly similar in size to Ivor Wynne.

SteelTown

May 29, 2009, 11:10 AM

Velodrome gives bang for buck
Backers praise flexible facility

May 29, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/572839

It's been in the Toronto 2015 Games plan, then out and back in again.

But when Hamilton's proposed Pan Am velodrome was featured prominently in the bid book submitted yesterday, it was no longer the sleeper facility of the bid.

In amateur sports circles, it has been the hidden gem that could perhaps deliver more per dollar than any other facility.

For $11.4 million as currently identified, it's a potential 365-day-a-year facility that could serve everyone from the fledgling cyclist to Olympic champs.

"It makes good business sense," says city Councillor Robert Pasuta, pointing to projected extensive use by school and recreational groups, all generating streams of revenue to cover ongoing operating expenses.

He viewed the indoor cycling venue in Manchester, England, last fall and saw a steady parade of schools kids and elite athletes using the facility.

Sue Palmer-Komar, former Olympian turned teacher, can see upside on all sides.

"As a parent, you want facility-based activities because they are a safe place to take your children. You don't want your kids playing on their bikes amongst the cars."

And as an elite cyclist representing Canada around the world, Palmer-Komar believes a track in her hometown would have made life easier for her.

"I could have done more training indoors, especially for time trials, and it would have saved me some travel to train elsewhere."

Also, she says a velodrome would attract more world-class athletes from across Canada and the United States, ramping up competition and giving kids more stars to emulate.

Olympic gold medallist Curt Harnett managed to win a track event in the 1987 Pan Am Games without access to an indoor facility in Ontario.

He travelled extensively to compete and points out a Pan Am track in Hamilton, as things sit right now, would be the only velodrome in Canada and the U.S. east of Los Angeles.

"The best would come to Hamilton, creating a very competitive environment for Canadian riders."

And Harnett says you can't discount the other uses a velodrome can be put to, with an infield capable of hosting court sports and other events.

"I remember one tour of Europe I had where it seemed we were always ahead of Tina Turner, who was playing the velodromes. They easily became mid-sized performance halls."

The velodrome proposal for Hamilton has been promoted by the Canadian Cycling Centre -- Hamilton, a legacy of the 2003 Road World Cycling Championships here.

President Andrew Iler was able to draw on funds remaining from Hamilton's 2014 Commonwealth Games bid to pull together a feasibility study.

The velodrome push has arguably the most advanced business plan among Pan Am projects based on Iler's research at Manchester's thriving track and extensive consultation with an architect.

But he was hoping for a facility in the $25-million to $30-million range, not the rib-and-fabric structure the $11.4-million figure is based on.

Iler's group will seek other levels of government and the private sector for funds.

"We're where the Tiger-Cats are in terms of looking for ways to make it a bigger and better facility."

He has strong backing from the city's Pan Am advisory board, which believes other levels of government and the private sector could help make it a grander building.

The current $11.4-million budget is based on products like VeloPlex Arenas, which uses Canadian-made Summit Structures buildings.

Veloplex owner Jack Simes, a former world-class racer, says he could deliver a facility to sit around 5,000 for that price. The Pan Am plan called for 3,500 seats.

The company has yet to build a velodrome but believes the sports experience of Summit and track builder Peter Junek of St. Catharines would add up to a facility the Pan American Sports Organization would approve.

Summit has built very large buildings like those holding a practice field for the New England Patriots. The tent-like structures consist of Duraweave coated fabric over steel-trussed frames on 10-foot centres. The roof is a translucent white membrane to permit sunlight.

Junek, meantime, is building the track for the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

He is proposing a revolutionary design for Hamilton, an aluminum track coated with non-slip, baked-on paint.

The former aircraft design engineer says extruded aluminum alloys are replacing wood in other areas because the product is straight and smooth and has a long life, especially indoors.

Junek allows it would "take a leap of faith to spend $1 million on this experiment (as opposed to $1.4 million for a wood track)" but said he feels the international cycling authority UCI would endorse it.

"I am fairly close to selling this and building one in Chile, South Africa or Mexico, but to build the first one in Hamilton would be a dream."

Iler said he respects Junek's innovative spirit in developing the aluminum track but believes it would take a prototype approved by UCI to introduce it in a major Games setting.

Meantime, Hamilton could have a rival for that sole velodrome east of L.A. Chester County, outside of Philadelphia, is looking at a $14-million indoor track to seat 2,500.

David Chauner of Velodrome Management Group said his company is working on options for property to build the facility.

He said if his development went ahead and Hamilton did get the Pan Am facility, there would be a natural connection between the two.

"Our area is a hotbed for cycling and so is the Hamilton area. What you want is several velodromes so you can run a league with the best competing on a circuit."

Iler agrees.

"The Philly area is not a tough drive and you could get people going back and forth to compete, generating excitement locally."

http://media.hamiltonspectator.topscms.com/images/05/59/7bbf2d624afe906bba4f36148806.jpeg

http://www.pedalmag.com/images/pedal/49d7ce80adfedvelodrome0081.2.jpg

omro

May 29, 2009, 11:36 AM

astroblaster

May 29, 2009, 2:39 PM

this seems like a weird idea... but i like it.

makes me want to listen to Kraftwerk - Tour de France.

Gurnett71

May 29, 2009, 3:47 PM

makes me want to listen to Kraftwerk - Tour de France.

:tup:

emge

May 29, 2009, 7:21 PM

If they built the stadium so that the seating was at least a horseshoe shape (open to the north), wouldn't that provide a degree of sound dampening for the residents to the south?

Oh and look a little bit symbolic.

Members of the North End Neighbours Association (especially Pier 4/Bayfront property owners) have been up in arms about the stadium location.... I think they'd kindly suggest it was pointed the other way... lol.

SteelTown

May 30, 2009, 1:33 PM

Star stadium designer is in the blocks

May 30, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/574571

Hamilton's stadium consultant is itching to flesh out plans for Steeltown's Pan-Am track and field facility.

"I have a design ready to go" that would see most of the seats on the west side of the stadium," said acclaimed Victoria sports architect Bob Johnston.

That's to facilitate viewing the highest interest in track, the sprint events. Jamaican Olympic phenomena Usain Bolt could thunder down the 100-metre strip on the west side of the Hamilton stadium in July, 2015.

Johnston designed Vancouver's new speed skating oval which has received outstanding reviews.

Hamilton's proposed lopsided bowl built around a north-south field would be lower at the east side and afford views of the bay and Royal Hamilton Yacht Club to the north and towards the escarpment on the south.

Of course, many ifs must be hurdled first. Canada needs to win the Games on behalf of the Golden Horseshoe region.

And the west harbour location could have land-assembly and environmental issues.

Also, Johnston would have to be formally named as the stadium designer. But the Cannon Design architect is ready for both the Games-sized 15,000-seat building and larger facility to house the Tiger-Cats.

And it wouldn't add much transition cost if the Ticats and private-sector partners come up with $50 million to double capacity.

"The added costs to go to the larger stadium are fairly low, mostly in remobilizing construction people."

Johnston knows the west harbour site near Barton and Bay Streets well. He was stadium consultant on Hamilton's bids for the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games. The 2014 version, sidelined in the domestic bidding by an ultimately bankrupt Halifax proposal, called for a 50,000-seat stadium.

It was part of a complex on the west harbour site called Commonwealth Sport Park. It included a training track, which the 2015 showcase would also require, and an aquatic centre.

This time out, the velodrome will be part of the site while McMaster University has been awarded a $35-million training pool.

In terms of the stadium, Johnston cited two key factors.

"It has to be outward looking and it needs to be built for an end use, not just for the Games."

He uses the term "begin as you want to end" to explain how Hamilton through a citizen advisory board can determine all the uses a stadium can be built for beyond track and field and football.

And it must be aesthetically and practically welcoming, not "the cold and uninviting look of an Ivor Wynne Stadium."

With an air-supported roof in winter, it would also get year-round use, Johnston added.

"A Hamilton stadium could showcase steel in the same way 2010 Olympic venues in British Columbia are promoting the lumber and wood industry."

Games chair David Peterson said many steel orders would flow from almost $700 million in building.

"I can't say how much steel but we've said all along that these infrastructure projects are just what the economy needs."

SteelTown

May 30, 2009, 1:35 PM

SPONSOR SET TO PAY $25M TO NAME NEW STADIUM
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/574571

A corporate sponsor is waiting in the wings to pay $25 million for naming rights on a new Hamilton stadium to house the Tiger-Cats.

Two highly placed sources confirmed the unnamed corporation would provide half the money needed to upgrade a 2015 Pan Am Games stadium.

It would take $50 million to increase capacity at the 15,000-seat Games track and field facility to 25,000 seats for football.

The city would come up with $44 million toward the $100-million Games facility, while the federal and provincial governments would cover the remainder.

But it would cost $150 million to build a stadium capable of holding pro football.

City council asked Ticat owner Bob Young and the private sector to find the $50 million.

Young declined to comment on the $25-million corporate interest.

He said the first hurdle is to win the Games, then the proposed stadium site in the West Harbour area near Bay and Barton streets can be fully assessed.

The vote to determine the 2015 host comes in early November.

"We won't look hard at the revenue possibilities for other development around the site until the Games are won," Young said.

And he did not rule out help from other levels of government given what he termed an unprecedented time of economic stimulation.

The Ticats current home, Ivor Wynne Stadium, is deteriorating which means escalating costs over time to maintain safety standards.

SteelTown

May 30, 2009, 7:25 PM

I wouder what the company could be for the naming rights. I'm guessing a beer company

Labatt Stadium or more local Lakeport Stadium. I like Lakeport Stadium better
Blackberry Stadium
I doubt it's one of the steel company. Dofasco Stadium
Tim Hortons Stadium
Lulu Stadium
Fluke Stadium
Orlick Stadium
Siemens Canada
CIBC/TD/RBC Stadium (doubt Bank of Montreal - BMO Field)

emge

May 30, 2009, 9:00 PM

I'd like Lakeport to get the rights (and I don't drink Lakeport!) But a local brewery that's achieved success would be ideal to me, and more personable than another type of company.

SteelTown

May 30, 2009, 10:19 PM

Plus Lakeport Stadium sounds good and it doesn't sound like a corporate naming stadium, unlike say hmmm Jobing.com Arena. Plus the stadium is proposed next to the waterfront. A good match.

matt602

May 30, 2009, 10:52 PM

My bet is on a beer company. It's certainly not going to be Dofasco and I doubt any of the banks give a shit about anything in Hamilton.

Gurnett71

May 31, 2009, 2:40 AM

US Steel Stadium?
Arcelor Mittal Field?
Maple Leaf Foods Stadium?
Tim Bit Field?
:jester:

astroblaster

Jun 1, 2009, 5:27 PM

I'd like Lakeport to get the rights (and I don't drink Lakeport!) But a local brewery that's achieved success would be ideal to me, and more personable than another type of company.

Plus Lakeport Stadium sounds good and it doesn't sound like a corporate naming stadium, unlike say hmmm Jobing.com Arena. Plus the stadium is proposed next to the waterfront. A good match.

Lakeport Stadium sounds great!

This would be up to Labatt now right?

realcity

Jun 1, 2009, 6:32 PM

I'm betting it's Tim Hortons..... *i hate Tim Hortons*. The stadium will have a drive-thru and be brown...... and their stupid cups thrown all over the place.

adam

Jun 1, 2009, 10:42 PM

And they can add salt to all the drinks at the concession stand to "bring out the flavour"

SteelTown

Jun 5, 2009, 2:28 AM

Pan Am rivals begin sniping at our venues

June 04, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/577727

Hamilton is centre stage as the sniping begins in the 2015 Pan Am Games bidding process.

The mayors of Bogota, Colombia and Lima, Peru have targeted rival bids, with the four Games venues in Steeltown a bull’s-eye. That follows the submission of the three bids last week to the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO).

Bogota Mayor Samuel Moreno is citing the distance from the Toronto 2015 athletes’ village to the track and field stadium, velodrome, volleyball venue at Copps Coliseum and training pool in Hamilton. He stressed in an Agence France Presse (AFP) report that all facilities in his city will be within six kilometres of the athletes’ village and noted that some of the Canadian bid’s venues mean a trip of more than 30 kilometres for athletes.

Meanwhile, Lima Mayor Luis Castaneda told a Peruvian news agency his city, which is at sea level, would serve athletes better than the thin air of Bogota, a city located at 2,350 metres.

And a high-profile sports figure in Peru reacted to criticism of Lima as a suitable site with a broad assertion that southern Ontario and Bogota cannot compare with the infrastructure, safety, “serviceability” and beauty of the Peruvian capitol, AFP reported.

Arturo Woodman, head of the Peruvian Institute of Sport, was responding to claims by the president of the Colombian Olympic Committee that Lima is not prepared to host 5,000 athletes from 42 countries in about 30 sports.

Toronto 2015 bid officials haven’t seen copies of the rival bids and aren’t about to enter the sniping.

“This is a friendly process and we’ve made our bid book available to the other bid groups,” said chairman David Peterson.

He’s keen to look at the rival documents but says the Toronto 2015 bid bunch has a general idea of what Lima and Bogota are proposing. He says his team will press its bid’s positive points and leave it to the PASO evaluation commission to grade the other bids.

Michael Fennell of Jamaica, PASO first vice-president, said he hadn’t heard concerns about Hamilton’s facilities and would wait for the appraisal commission’s report.

Steve Stoute, head of the Barbados Olympic Committee, said the southern Ontario plan has several advantages.

“Many of the PASO delegates know Toronto because of family ties and business trips. And it could benefit from a split vote if South American voters have to chose between Lima and Bogota. I think most from the Caribbean will vote for Toronto.”

LikeHamilton

Jul 6, 2009, 4:59 PM

Tender C2-10-09

Available
6/23/2009
Closing
7/21/2009

Proposal for Professional Consultant Services Required to Prepare a Business Plan for the Creation of a New Multi-Use Stadium for Participation in the Pan American Games

SCOPE OF WORK
The City of Hamilton is hiring a consultant to prepare a business plan for the creation of a new multi-use stadium for participation in the PAN AMERICAN GAMES. The business plan will be presented to Council and used as a tool to gain Council and Public approval and leverage further public and private investment. This investment is needed in order to realize a larger 24,000 to 30,000 seat venue instead of the 15,000 seat venue for which capital funds have already been approved.

MANDATORY PROPONENT’S MEETING
Failure of a Proponent to attend this site meeting will result in the rejection of any Proposal submission by that Proponent.

Time: 2:30 pm Local Time
Date: Thursday, July 2, 2009
Location: 77 James Street N, Suite 400A Hamilton, L8R 2K3

· Buyer: Adriana Thibault - 905.546.2424, Ext. 2797
· Number of addenda issued: 0
· Document Fee: $40.00

realcity

Jul 6, 2009, 6:25 PM

thank gawd

Janbe

Jul 14, 2009, 4:29 AM

Hey Hamilton. We need to win these games. We need to talk up Toronto's 2015 Pan Am Games. We need to rally for the games.

thistleclub

Jul 14, 2009, 10:55 AM

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/07/12/10104271-sun.html

BCTed

Jul 14, 2009, 12:00 PM

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/07/12/10104271-sun.html

Vancouver never hosted the summer Olympics.

Berklon

Jul 14, 2009, 12:44 PM

Vancouver never hosted the summer Olympics.

Yeah, I think the writer should've done a tad more research.

realcity

Jul 14, 2009, 2:30 PM

That's embarrassing. Plus the writing is horrible.

SteelTown

Jul 14, 2009, 2:38 PM

It's Sun Media, whaddya expect?

SteelTown

Aug 28, 2009, 11:14 AM

Hamilton, Toronto under Pan Am microscope
Inspection team arrives Saturday

August 28, 2009
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/625867

Pan American Games officials will put the GTA and Hamilton under the microscope this weekend.

Officials from five countries representing the Pan American Sports Organization will arrive in Toronto on Saturday night for a two-day tour.

They’ll be here to check out the Golden Horseshoe’s bid for the 2015 Games and compare facilities and plans with those of fellow bidders Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia.

They are expected to visit key venues including the Air Canada Centre, Rogers Centre and Exhibition Place in Toronto.

Hamilton is poised to stage track and field and track cycling at new facilities, volleyball at Copps Coliseum, soccer at McMaster University and aquatics training at a new pool at Mac.

Burlington is slated for a stadium to host early round soccer.

with the CNE providing some lively action — as well potential sites like the athletes' village on the waterfront and in Hamilton.

Chris Rudge, the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, believes the Golden Horseshoe cities involved in the push for the 2015 sports showcase are in good shape to receive the evaluation panel.

"They will check to see there is a plan in place and that you are capable of staging the Games. They will report on those aspects and don't usually recommend who should be awarded the Games."

SteelTown

Aug 29, 2009, 4:04 PM

Hamilton on track for Games committee visit

August 29, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/626046

When the Pan Am Games appraisal team comes to Hamilton on Monday, it won't be by limo.

Officials with Toronto 2015 will address a contentious element of the $1.4-billion bid with their choice of transit: They'll bring the panel of six by GO train and bus.

"We want to show how we'll execute transportation for the Games," said Bob Richardson, senior adviser for the Greater Golden Horseshoe bid group.

So it will be a dedicated train to Burlington's Aldershot station, then a shuttle bus to McMaster University to start their tour of Hamilton.

The evaluation commission members appointed by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) will go express to show how athletes could cover the 68 kilometres from the athletes' village to Hamilton venues.

"It's not distance, it's time and comfort that matter most," says Michael Chambers, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Chambers understands what the visitors will be looking for. He served on the evaluation panel that checked out bids from San Antonio and Rio for the 2007 Games, which Rio won.

He's confident the group will understand that the trip from the athletes' village in Toronto's West Donlands to Copps Coliseum or the proposed stadium site near Bay and Barton streets would be no longer than that of other Pan Am Games or Olympics.

Toronto 2015 is using 45 minutes as the standard, either by express GO train right into the city or buses on a dedicated lane on the Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 403.

The Spectator experimented by simulating dedicated lanes through a Sunday trip and drove the route in 38 minutes.

The next challenge will be showing the site for the second-most important Games venue -- the $102-million, 15,000-seat track and field stadium and $11.3-million, 3,500-seat velodrome.

That West Harbour site near CN Rail lines is an old industrial area.

Chambers recalled a site visit in Rio in 2001.

"We were taken to an abandoned airfield outside Rio and asked to imagine a complex for court sports."

The panel will see bricks and mortar at Copps and Mac's Ron Joyce Stadium, which would host early-round soccer.

They might also encounter groups protesting bid spending as two anti-Games outfits have cropped up this week.

The London-based Freedom Party of Ontario has started a No Tax for Pan Am protest and a coalition called No Games Toronto says it plans to protest at proposed venues there.

After a quick tour here, weather permitting, the appraisal team will leave by helicopter to look at the Henley rowing course in St. Catharines and proposed canoe/kayak sprint course in Welland.

After that, they'll fly back across the entire breadth of the Games' footprint for a literal overview.

The evaluation commission arrives this afternoon in Toronto following visits to 2015 Games rivals Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia.

The upside to being last, says Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger, is that "we have a chance to make the lasting impression. We'll be stressing the enthusiasm for the Games and the lasting legacy for Hamilton."

He said he will point out that the stadium and velodrome can service generations of sports and recreational users, and the development of the West Harbour site would transform the city.

"It can leverage other development and services, especially transportation like GO and a light rail transit line."

Hamilton businessman David Braley, who helped launch the Pan Am drive and sits on Toronto 2015's board, will show the Pan Am panel the Mac football facility and where the 50-metre training pool would be located.

He'll take the opportunity to show support for the Games goes beyond government circles.

"We'll stress we have all the resources in place to build facilities and stage the Games and I'll point out there are people like me, with experience in business and the business of sport, who are backing the bid."

Braley has already made his international mark as the brains behind the highly successful 2003 Road World Cycling Championships.

After a brief closing media conference and dinner Monday evening, the panel will return home to compile a report to the 42-member nations of PASO.

They'll leave with a development that will make travel easier for Games athletes.

The federal government announced yesterday it is granting a special visa exemption for 2015. Athletes' accreditation will serve as a visa and they will ease into Canada with that and a passport.

Chambers says it is a meaningful development that puts Pan Am athletes on the same footing as athletes at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler.

He explained the evaluation commission will not issue a ranking of the bids, but will grade them in several categories with the sum being whether they can host more than 5,000 athletes competing in 34 sports.

The COC head said an important aspect of the visit is that five members of the appraisal group are voting delegates.

"They are senior executives in sport and very influential," he noted. "So what they pass on by word of mouth is very important, too."

Their words could resonate in early November when the 2015 host is selected.

SteelTown

Aug 30, 2009, 11:17 PM

Pan Am delegation hits Hamilton Monday

August 30, 2009
JOHN KERNAGHAN
THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/626173

TORONTO -- The evaluation team examining the Southern Ontario Pan Am Games bid covered a handful of venues Sunday and readied for Monday's visit to Hamilton.

"They are an energetic and highly-engaged group who ask a lot of questions," said Toronto 2015 senior advisor Bob Richardson.

The six-member appraisal panel traveled with OPP motorcycle outriders as they started the day with breakfast at the top of the CN Tower and visited the West Don Lands site where the 2015 Athlete's Village would be located.

"They saw the remedial work at the site, asked about land ownership and were assured the land is secured and ready to go."

At York University's Rexall Centre, proposed site of the tennis competition, a half-dozen protesters from No Pan Am Games Toronto set up in front of the tennis stadium.

Spokesperson Joeita Gupta said the group opposed the 2015 sports showcase because it would inevitably cost taxpayers more than the $1.4 billion price tag due to cost overruns, there is no assurance of social housing arising from the athlete's village and it pushed aside too many pressing social issues.

Monday in Hamilton the appraisal commission will arrive by GO train, visit McMaster University and, weather permitting, fly by helicopter over the proposed stadium site near Bay and Barton streets.

Canada's Minister of State for Sport, Gary Lunn, said in a statement that the enthusiasm around the bid is palpable.

“Although they’ll only be here a short time, the delegation members will no doubt sense the excitement on behalf of everyone involved in this bid to welcome the Pan Am athletes in 2015.”

adam

Aug 31, 2009, 4:21 AM

I hope they don't see city hall...

SteelTown

Aug 31, 2009, 11:22 AM

Delegates will assess sites for 2015 Games

August 31, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/626233

Hamilton gets to show its Pan Am Games face today as members of an evaluation commission visit the city and take its measure as a major hub for the 2015 spectacle.

The six-member panel will check out sites proposed for a 15,000-seat athletics stadium, indoor cycling track, Burlington's Sherwood Park soccer stadium and a practice pool at McMaster University.

The appraisal team appointed by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) will also look at existing facilities such as Copps Coliseum, which would house volleyball, and the soccer field at Ron Joyce Stadium at Mac.

The evaluation group is assessing three bids for the 42-nation showcase. PASO encompasses countries from North America, South America and the Caribbean.

The panel has already visited Lima, Peru, and arrived in Toronto Saturday from a field trip to Bogota, Colombia. Those two cities are competitors to Toronto 2015, which spans southern Ontario cities.

Hamilton and Burlington form the West Games Zone of the bid footprint and represent about $170 million of the $708-million capital spending in the $1.4-billion total budget.

The evaluation committee will report its findings to the PASO executive. Those reports, analyzing the three bids' ability to deliver the Games, will be distributed to voting delegates.

The vote on the 2015 host city is Nov. 4 at PASO's annual congress in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Below are descriptions of the proposed and existing facilities.

PAN AMERICAN STADIUM

The 15,000-seat stadium would house track and field for the Pan Am and Parapan Games at a proposed site in the West Harbour area northwest of Bay and Barton streets.

The projected cost is $102 million, of which the city would pay almost $45 million. The Toronto 2015 bid book forecasts completion in 2014 with post-Games use as a training centre for athletics and multipurpose community use.

It could also grow to 25,000 seats and become a new home for the Tiger-Cats if the football club and the private sector can come up with $50 million for the larger capacity.

COPPS COLISEUM

The 17,500-seat arena, which is almost 25 years old, would hold the volleyball tournaments, which are one of the Games' biggest events.

RON JOYCE STADIUM

The McMaster facility can hold 6,000 people for early-round soccer games.

PAN AMERICAN VELODROME

The cycling track to seat 3,500 would be located beside the practice track of the stadium complex and is budgeted for $11.3 million.

The city would pick up $5 million of that for a steel frame and fabric structure.

The Canadian Cycling Centre at McMaster is hoping to raise funds for a more substantial structure if the bid is won.

MCMASTER TRAINING POOL

It would replace a declining facility and cost $35 million. Mac would pick up $15 million of that.

SHERWOOD PARK STADIUM

The proposed 10,000-seat Burlington stadium would host early-round soccer and serve as a regional training and competition centre after the Games.

Burlington would pick up about $13 million of the $23-million cost.

SteelTown

Aug 31, 2009, 11:25 AM

The Spectator's View
Games worthy of our support

August 31, 2009
Howard Elliott
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/626237

Legacy. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines it as "something that has been handed down by an ancestor or predecessor." Thanks to the efforts on the part of the 2015 Golden Horseshoe Pan Am Games bid committee, Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area are poised to be the beneficiaries of a tremendous legacy of international goodwill, athletic accomplishment and sports infrastructure.
In a little more than two months, the Pan American Sports Organization will hold its annual congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, where PASO will award the 2015 Games to Canada, Peru (Lima) or Colombia (Bogota). An integral part of that process is under way in Hamilton today, with PASO delegates here on an evaluation visit.

The Spectator is on the record as a passionate supporter of this Games bid, as it has been of previous efforts. We know that this city and region is an ideal choice for the 2015 Games. Southern Ontario, with its rich sporting heritage, is the perfect location to give the Pan Am Games a higher profile than they currently enjoy in Canada. The most populous part of the country is filled with avid fans of sports and athletics, as demonstrated by the strong support base for pro franchises and intercollegiate sports in the Golden Horseshoe.

That large population also translates into a ready and able volunteer workforce, such a critical element in the success of major amateur sport events. For evidence of that, look no further than the huge volunteer workforce that helped make the 2003 Road World Cycling Championships a roaring success.

Anyone who lived here through that event can recall vividly the sense of pride and accomplishment engendered by seeing a field of speeding riders soar down tree-lined streets in front of enthusiastic crowds, and seeing it on national television, providing visceral proof of what Hamilton boosters have always said, that this is a city of great natural beauty and diversity well-suited to hosting world-class sporting events

The enthusiasm and drive behind that event have fuelled two robust Commonwealth Games bids, and from those bids has risen an idea that is pure Hamilton, and should act as powerful incentive for PASO delegates to back the Golden Horseshoe bid.

A four-point plan contained in the bid will help athletes and coaches from smaller PASO countries come to Canada and enjoy world-class training and coaching assistance in advance of the Games. The plan would involve athletic scholarships, clinics and workshops on sports administration and marketing. And McMaster University, with its impressive athletic and training facilities, and a deep pool of expertise, will play a central role.

From the perspective of Hamilton and Burlington citizens, the benefits and legacy of a successful bid are equally compelling. Hamilton stands to gain a new stadium. The stadium would also house a world-class track facility that would be the venue for track and field competition in 2015, and could be used to make the city a track centre of excellence.

Accompanying the track and stadium at the west end of Hamilton Harbour would be a velodrome, for cycling during the Games and for public and competitive use, 365 days a year, by the public and high-level cyclists in training, once the Games are finished.

Hamilton aquatic enthusiasts would also benefit from a new 50-metre pool that would reside at McMaster University, replacing the aging pool and providing a legacy for Mac swimmers, local swim clubs and the public in general.

And Burlington would benefit from construction of a new soccer stadium that would host preliminary rounds of competition in 2015.

These major pieces of sport and recreational infrastructure offer huge potential for the Hamilton-Burlington area to grow and further establish a reputation as a sporting centre, and they come with added incentive: the provincial and federal governments would cover more than half the cost.

In closing, it's fitting that along with acknowledging the efforts of all the bid committee and their supporters, we pay special tribute to David Braley, the Hamilton businessman and philanthropist whose vision has been central to this bid, along with the two Commonwealth Games bids, and who steered the successful world cycling championships. Braley, who has also invested millions in local health care and other sectors, is a Hamilton icon who, in his heart, gets this city and what it's capable of. The city is fortunate to have many champions, but few are bolder and more committed than Braley.

All indications are that the 2015 Games bid has strong public support, the backing of local government, and support and willingness to invest on the part of the provincial and federal governments. The bid is innovative, forward-looking and dynamic. The Games have the potential to energize the Golden Horseshoe, to leave it a better place than before they came. They are eminently worthy of support.

SteelTown

Aug 31, 2009, 4:10 PM

Pan-Am officials laud Mac venue
Athletic complex "Olympic standard": Evaluators

http://media.hamiltonspectator.topscms.com/images/d8/8c/c2b9de164f9f8da77259908498ae.jpeg
Mayor Fred Eisenberger and other officials toured members of the Pan Am Games evaluation group around city facilities Monday morning.

August 31, 2009
John Kernaghan
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/626351

McMaster University’s sports facilities exceed the needs of the 2015 Pan Am Games and are up to Olympic standards.

That was the message Monday morning from members of an appraisal commission visiting Hamilton, says Pan Am promoter David Braley.

“I had a few minutes with each member and they think this complex is at the Olympic level, not just Pan American Games level,” Braley said after the 45-minute visit.

The athletic complex is named after him the football stadium bears the name of Tim Hortons founder Ron Joyce.

McMaster president Peter George said his time with member of the commission gave him a good feeling about this bid.

“I was disappointed in the past (by Commonwealth Games failures) but feel optimistic this time.”

The appraisal panel is looking at the Toronto 2015 bid from southern Ontario as well as proposals from Lima, Peru and Bogota, Colombia. Hamilton was the last stop on their land tour, then they left Mac on two helicopters to take in existing facilities and proposed venue sites.

Planned flyovers included Copps Coliseum, the stadium and velodrome site at Bay and Barton Streets, then Niagara Falls, a canoe/kayak site at Welland and the Henley rowing facility at St. Catharines.

realcity

Sep 1, 2009, 2:27 AM

I hope they don't see city hall...

funny I was thinking the same thing. Then I was hoping they took the 403/York into downtown. There were lots of places they probably avoided. I hope they also took James to go to the waterfront rather then Bay St.

SteelTown

Sep 1, 2009, 2:33 AM

They took the GO Train from Union Station to Aldershot and a shuttle bus to McMaster along 403. From McMaster they took a helicopter to the downtown core to see Copps and up to West Harbourfront. From there off to the Niagara Region.

realcity

Sep 1, 2009, 2:40 AM

I think Niagara offers a big incentive. The whole world wants to visit the Falls. And the Toronto/Falls destination is well known throughout the world. The Games here offer more to the fans then just the Games.

My guess is Lima gets it.

Bc they would like the games to help develop certain countries. Showing how 'great' and prosperous we are doesn't help for the same reason we lost to Delhi commonwealth games.

The Commonwealth Games weren't just bribed by Delhi, they were already likely considering the same development thinking. Bogota won't win because of the violence and kidnappings. Then again paid-off militia could keep the athletes, families and fans safe.

So who knows? This is going to be tough decision.

realcity

Sep 1, 2009, 2:41 AM

SteelTown

Sep 1, 2009, 11:23 AM

Lavish praise for game plan
PASO head likens it to Olympics

September 01, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
TORONTO
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/627033

Much more of this and Ontario's 2015 Pan Am Games bid group will get a superiority complex.

Julio Cesar Maglione, head of a visiting PASO evaluation team, was lavish in his praise of the Toronto 2015 game plan for a sports showcase centred in Toronto and Hamilton with several other cities also expecting to stage events.

"You could go for the Olympics if you want," he said in lauding facilities at McMaster University and University of Toronto, as well as planned venues like Hamilton's track and field stadium and velodrome.

"Those planned projects are excellent."

He stressed the importance of the two universities being involved and noted the health component in terms of long-term community use of the Games' facilities.

And what some have seen as the bid's Achilles heel, the big Games footprint and travel times for athletes, was not a worry to Maglione and his five fellow commissioners.

"With the stations planned, it is a 40-minute trip" from the proposed athlete's village in Toronto's West Don Lands to a projected stop at the track and field facility outlined for the Bay and Barton streets area. He noted some Olympics have imposed 90-minute trips on athletes.

Indeed, the appraisal panel boarded an express GO train from Toronto to Burlington's Aldershot station, making the trip yesterday in 30 minutes.

"It was bang-on in terms of time," said bid president Jagoda Pike.

But a little light prodding from bid chairperson David Peterson could not produce a declaration that Toronto 2015 had the best bid.

Maglione said the team would review its findings, then compile a report for the Pan American Sports Organization, which will vote in early November between the southern Ontario bid, Lima, Peru and Bogota, Colombia.

Pike said the 18-stop visit over two days was draining but she felt the Toronto 2015 bid was in a good position as the last city visited, even with some tired evaluation commission members.

"And we were fortunate in getting glorious weather today for the helicopter trip down to Niagara. Everything was particularly gorgeous from up there today."

She said two aspects seemed to impress the visiting panel.

"They thought the size and breadth of our facilities was great and really liked the transportation infrastructure we can bring to the Games."

The panel dined with bid officials last night, including Mayor Fred Eisenberger and businessman David Braley, before leaving today.

Eisenberger said the visitors were "keen and engaged, asked a lot of questions and thought the facilities at McMaster were top notch."

"I had a few minutes with each member and they think this complex is at the Olympic level, not just Pan American Games level," said Braley after the 45-minute visit.

The athletic complex is named after him and the football stadium bears the name of Tim Hortons co-founder Ron Joyce.

McMaster president Peter George said his time with members of the commission gave him a good feeling about this bid.

"I was disappointed in the past (by Commonwealth Games failures) but feel optimistic this time."

SteelTown

Sep 1, 2009, 11:25 AM

At McMaster they have a model of the stadium, pratice track and velodrome.

http://media.hamiltonspectator.topscms.com/images/39/fd/a3a47b43446ba81ca9eaafdf7d38.jpegv

SteelTown

Sep 24, 2009, 3:46 PM

Ontario ramps up 2015 Pan Am bid

September 24, 2009
THE CANADIAN PRESS
http://www.sportsnet.ca/more/2009/09/24/ontario-pan-am-0/

TORONTO -- Premier Dalton McGuinty is heading to Denmark in his effort to ensure southern Ontario will host the 2015 Pan American Games.

He will travel to Copenhagen next week to lobby delegates at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee.

Toronto, with Hamilton, is competing against Bogota, Colombia, and Lima, Peru, for the two-week event.

McGuinty went to last year's Beijing Olympics to meet with IOC delegates and has made two lobbying trips to Mexico.

He will be in Copenhagen Oct. 2-4, then travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, in early November when the host city is announced.

In late August, the head of the Pan-Am Games evaluation team praised Ontario's bid during a tour of facilities in Toronto and Hamilton.

Janbe

Sep 26, 2009, 8:14 PM

Toronto is going to win these games.

SteelTown

Oct 2, 2009, 11:26 AM

Bid team takes on Obama for 2015 Pan Ams

October 02, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/645969

The big Olympic show today features U.S. President Barack Obama pitching Chicago 2016's merits, but Toronto 2015 has an important sideshow to execute during Olympic meetings in Copenhagen.

"It will be a high-octane event with Obama and other heads of state," said Jagoda Pike, president of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games bid.

The Canadian delegation, by contrast, will work away quietly to firm up votes to win the Americas sports showcase in five weeks.

"This might be the last chance to talk to some people and to also see the latest and greatest in bid presentations," she said.

Bid chair David Peterson has his sales pitch finely tuned.

"This is a fabulous opportunity for us to tell our story," he said.

He and Pike are at the International Olympic Committee with a party led by Premier Dalton McGuinty and Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best.

"Everyone will be there," Peterson said, and by everyone, he means representatives from the 42 Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) countries. They will vote Nov. 6 in Guadalajara, Mexico, to determine whether Canada's bid on behalf of southern Ontario trumps efforts by Lima, Peru, or Bogota, Colombia, to stage the 2015 showcase.

Rio and Chicago appear to be leading the race for the 2016 Olympics, and leads to two theories about the impact on the Pan Am result should the vote go to either city.

If Chicago wins, one line of thought suggests the rebuff to Rio means delegates in South and Latin America will strive harder to win the Pan Ams for Lima or Bogota.

But others, and that includes Canadian IOC member Dick Pound, suggest selecting Chicago would benefit Toronto 2015.

The Pan Ams in southern Ontario would serve as a good launching pad for athletes aimed at 2016 because the climate and communities are similar to Chicago and are only separated by one time zone.

But Peterson believes the vote defies "theorists and sophists," and will go to the city that presents the most compelling case and works hardest to win votes.

The former Ontario premier said Toronto's bid team has worked diligently on all levels -- sports, business and diplomatic -- for support.

And he has invited Prime Minister Stephen Harper to attend the PASO vote to help put the southern Ontario bid over the top.

Harper's office said it is being considered, but any announcement about his participation wouldn't be made public until two days before the vote, Nov. 4.

SteelTown

Oct 2, 2009, 3:40 PM

Chicago lost it's bid. If Rio wins, good chance, we are locked in for a stadium and a velodrome.

SteelTown

Oct 2, 2009, 4:52 PM

Rio won. We've pretty much locked up this bid.

SteelTown

Oct 2, 2009, 9:27 PM

The committee is currently in the process of selecting victory celebration locations. Just five weeks to go until decision time.

Ours will probably be at Copps Coliseum.

Blurr

Oct 4, 2009, 5:00 PM

How about Dundurn Castle?

SteelTown

Oct 4, 2009, 5:33 PM

Hmm yea that could work.

For Toronto they'll likely have it outside such as Yonge-Dundas Square. Problem for Hamilton is that we don't really have a large urban plaza.

I'm betting on Copps Coliseum though.

SteelTown

Oct 8, 2009, 11:12 AM

Toronto 2015 team beefs up pitch for Pan Ams

October 08, 2009
Stories by John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/649650

Toronto 2015 has submitted a buffed-up Pan Am Games bid document that stresses the athlete experience and fleshes out transportation plans.

That comes a month before the vote to determine the Games host on Nov. 6 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The enhanced bid book was handed into the Pan American Sports Organization, the Games' organizing body, as a Canadian delegation concluded four days of lobbying at the International Olympic Committee congress in Copenhagen.

"It was intense, lots of meetings and people to see," said Toronto 2015 bid president Jagoda Pike.

Pike said the upgraded bid was partly a response to a review by an evaluation panel that visited Hamilton and Toronto in late August.

Rival bids from Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia, have referred to southern Ontario's transportation plan when comparing the bids.

But the evaluation panel didn't find fault with the plan, which stretches from the athletes' village in Toronto's West Don Lands to Steeltown's stadium, velodrome and pool sites.

The panel members approved of the GO train trip they took, and said the train and the widened Queen Elizabeth Way would be good ways to move athletes within a 40- to 45-minute time frame.

The 205-nation International Olympic Committee convention last week selected Rio de Janeiro as the 2016 Olympic host.

Some observers feel the choice of Rio will help Toronto 2015 win the $1.4-billion Pan Am Games, especially with previous Pan Ams going to southern destinations.

"We don't think it helps us or hurts us," Pike said. "We believe the vote will centre on the ability to deliver the best experience to the athletes."

She said an important part of Toronto's pitch for votes is a pre-Games training program that would help Pan Am athletes and coaches from other countries perform better in 2015.

Pike noted the trend of bloc voting, which knocked co-favourite Chicago out of the 2016 Olympic race on the first ballot, shouldn't have Toronto worried for the Pan Am vote.

Senior IOC officials claimed an Asian bloc of 44 national Olympic committees apparently voted overwhelmingly for Tokyo, even though Chicago was a widespread sentimental favourite.

With many of the 49 European nations leaning toward Madrid and the 42 nations of the Pan American Sports Organization sympathetic to Rio, Chicago was bounced.

For the Pan Am vote, it would take members of the Caribbean National Olympic Committees -- with 23 nations and 26 votes, half of the total 52 -- to dump a bid in the first-round.

Pike believes the southern Ontario bid has strong support in the Caribbean.

The Caribbean Olympic committee president, Steve Stoute, has called on member nations to vote for Toronto 2015.

After that group's 26 votes, 11 South American countries have 15 votes, five Latin American nations have five votes, and three North American countries have five votes.

Pike said despite receiving good signals -- some from South America and Latin America -- the Canadian bid push is taking nothing for granted.

"Bogota and Lima are working very hard, just as we are, right to the finish."

It will be pedal to the metal as the three bids meet at the intersection of dreams and reality in Guadalajara, Pike said.

"We're going full tilt and want to be the one which emerges from that," she said.

SteelTown

Oct 8, 2009, 11:15 AM

Games hopes heating up
NHL bid gone to back burner

October 08, 2009
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/649645

Make that one big sports quest down, another looming on the horizon with the 2015 Pan Am Games vote a month off.

The National Hockey League dream has gone to the back burner while Hamilton's hopes for a part in a big international Games, simmering away for two years now, rise to a full boil at a Nov. 6 vote.

It's been two years since Hamilton Tiger-Cat president Scott Mitchell called for a new stadium as home to the football club and multipurpose community use.

In an address to a Mayor's Luncheon crowd, Mitchell said a "perfect storm" was brewing that could deliver for the Ticats and the city in making it a significant sport, recreation and health centre.

The winds of change have converged just as he predicted. Hamilton sits four weeks shy of a transformational moment that could make the local economy take wing.

That's when sport officials from the Americas determine the 2015 Pan Am Games host. A win for Canada is a major score for Hamilton.

A southern Ontario Pan Am bid was a mere stirring when Mitchell spoke, but it flowered fully and would mean a $35-million swimming pool at McMaster University, a $11.4-million cycling velodrome and Burlington's $23-million soccer stadium, as well as the $100-million Hamilton stadium.

"I couldn't have asked for things to unfold any better than they have," Mitchell says now.

The federal and provincial governments committed to $500 million each for the $1.4-billion Games, Hamilton city council OK'd $60 million and the Toronto 2015 bid group was able to get municipalities from Welland to Oshawa to join in the push to win the 2015 showcase.

But that $100-million stadium would seat 15,000, so it's up to the Tiger-Cats and a private-sector alliance to come up with $50 million more to take the facility to 25,000 seats to hold Canadian Football League games.

Either way, the Games infrastructure plan would arguably be the largest combined project in Canada as the nation claws out of the recession.

It would mean $708 million in capital projects, with almost a quarter, or $175 million, in Hamilton and Burlington. Make that $225 million if the bigger stadium is built.

"I can't think of anything in the country that would be of this magnitude," says Hamilton's Patrick Dillon, a member of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am bid board who sits on the Infrastructure Ontario board.

Dillon, as business manager of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, understands the huge impact of that Nov. 6 decision.

He estimates the Games would create about 600 construction jobs in Hamilton and Burlington.

If those jobs are even just 18 months in duration at an average $60,000 a year, that's $54 million pumped into the economy.

Moreover, there's all the orders for building materials for those workers to fashion the facilities and the professional services in respect to engineering and architecture.

Also, the Games could serve as a lever for more public spending on transportation to support the facilities.

And Dillon points out with another $720 million to be spent on operating expenses and security, the leadup to the Games, their two-week duration and wind-down period provide another monster gust to the local economy.

But when the 5,000 or so Games athletes go home, he says, it is merely the beginning of a long period of community use and special events that bring people and money to the city.

"The stadium would be a world-class venue for track and field and the velodrome would be the only track in Canada, and just second in North America, to host major international events."

David Adames, executive director of Tourism Hamilton, said the Pan Ams could provide a whole new portfolio of opportunities for sports tourism, especially with a stadium and velodrome capable of great flexibility.

Both would be configured for multiple purposes.

Adames says the legacy of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester is the most recent example of the economic power of a big sport showcase.

It engendered almost $300 million in transportation improvements, a report to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games bid committee indicated.

Also, an impact report claimed 20,000 jobs were created, full-time and temporary, with another 4,000 arising from developments three to five years post-Games.

It cited a tourism-benefits report indicating the Games helped airport passenger growth by 7.5 per cent in 2003 and projected that 30 million people considered Manchester a destination for business or tourism as a result of the city hosting the Games.

A sporting legacy report showed that organizations formed as a result of the Games aided 95 schools with in-school coaching, almost 4,500 children participated in school-holiday programs at Games facilities in 2002 and 31,500 spaces were created in sports development courses each year after the Games.

SteelTown

Oct 17, 2009, 1:55 PM

It's rah-rah time for 2015 Pan Am Games bid team

October 17, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
TORONTO
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/655191

After months of energetic international lobbying, the 2015 Pan Am bid team worked yesterday to put some local sizzle into the $1.4-billion initiative.

"We've been kind of low profile, now it's time to build passion for the Games," said bid group member Alexandra Orlando, a Pan Am and Olympic gymnast. "It's been kind of dark times due to the economy, now we need to shake things up and start looking forward."

Orlando spoke after a panel discussion at the Canadian Club of Toronto where she, bid chair David Peterson and Canadian Olympic Committee CEO Chris Rudge fleshed out all the benefits the 42-nation showcase would bring to the Toronto-Hamilton bid.

More than 30 current and former athletes, including Olympic rower Marnie McBean, gymnast Karen Cockburn and track cyclist Curt Harnett, sat at tables for a noon business lunch to drum home what the Games mean to Toronto.

Rudge struck a responsive chord, saying it's time for a win after five international losses -- two Toronto Olympic bids and a World's Fair try plus Steeltown's two Commonwealth Games misses.

He stressed southern Ontario had fallen behind most of Canada in providing sports and recreation opportunities and focused on the velodrome slated for Hamilton as one which could be dynamic in serving elite and everyday athletes.

A leader of a grassroots coalition calling itself No Games Toronto asked how $1.4 billion for fun and games could be justified when homeless people were dying in the streets. Peterson stressed those ills can be addressed more permanently when you have the kind of prosperity the Games will create.

Tourism Hamilton executive director David Adames, who attended the lunch, said the panel discussion underscored Hamilton's role with references to the legacy of the velodrome and a $100-million to $150-million Pan Am stadium slated for the Bay and Barton area.

Yesterday's session came on the heels of Peterson's latest globe-trotting to leverage every opportunity to lock up votes, a marathon 30-hour visit to New Delhi.

He visited the recent Commonwealth Games Federation annual congress in the Indian city to get face time with the CGF members who are also delegates of the Pan American Sports Organization.

"There are 15 countries common to both organizations and we got in two presentations and a reception," said Peterson.

"They know we're deadly serious about this because we show up everywhere." Neither of Toronto 2015's rivals, Lima, Peru, or Bogota, Colombia, lobbied in India.

The Pan Am vote is Nov. 6.

realcity

Oct 17, 2009, 6:33 PM

I still say it's going to Lima

drpgq

Oct 18, 2009, 12:18 AM

Not really sure what to make of this article, although putting the stadium in Burlington seems like some ridiculous speculation.

Perkins: Everyone wins if Pan Am bid successful

Less than three weeks before the vote in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games bid is still inching into view.

Whether because of bid fatigue from past failures or a desire to keep organized opposition at bay – or a little of both – this city and province's attempt to attract the 42 member nations of the Pan American Sports Organization in six years has advanced well under the public radar.

It surfaced briefly Friday at the Royal York, where the Canadian Club drank a toast to the nation before presenting a "we want the Games" panel discussion. It was mostly a cheerleading session, bid chair David Peterson pitching the "celebrating common humanity" angle and the Canadian Olympic Committee's outgoing CEO Chris Rudge noting that staging a successful Pan Am Games could lead to a future Olympic bid for Toronto, in 2024 or 2028. (It worked for Rio de Janeiro, which held the 2007 Pan Ams before graduating to 2016 Olympic stage.)

Whatever lollipops and rainbows accompany a successful trip to Guadalajara, the soundest reason to go down this $2 billion road is strictly this: We need the facilities for future generations of athletes. Ontario and particularly Toronto are woefully served in terms of good athletic facilities. Ontario used to provide more than half the athletes to a Canadian Olympic team. In Beijing it was less than 25 per cent, a number doomed to continue falling until we obtain top-notch facilities for the young people of this province.

As Rudge said, Toronto has two 50-metre swimming pools and the city of Sydney, Australia, has 45.

High-performance athletes, the kind who compete in Olympics and Pan Ams, represent the top of the participation pyramid, but, as Rudge said, the wider the base, the higher and more solid the pyramid. The more kids who swim in Olympic-suitable pools, the more Olympic swimmers will be produced some day.

The other reason to support it is the way the money is spread around the province. Aside from the 8,500-unit village already under construction on the West Donlands, facilities will be built in a number of communities around the GTA. There aren't enormous projects encouraging the usual suspects to barge in and steal all the money.

The largest athletic project is a new stadium earmarked for Hamilton, intended to hold the track and field events before morphing into a new home for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. David Braley, who has prime minister Stephen Harper's ear and is an invaluable agent for the bid, has been pushing for the new stadium. Now that Braley is in line to buy the Toronto Argonauts, there is speculation in Hamilton that the stadium could be reshaped into a joint Argo-Ticat stadium in somewhere like Burlington. It's only idle talk, at this point, but it is interesting talk, for sure.

As far as organized opposition to this bid, well, there's almost none. A woman representing something called No Games Toronto rose to ask a question and make a small speech about misdirection of resources and Peterson – as someone said, there aren't enough o's in smooth to describe him – went trippingly down the sport-as-motherhood path in response.

"This isn't like the last Olympic bid," he said of the 2008 attempt – and he's right. This one costs a relative bargain $10 million and it has kept its head down and its message quiet at home, while going loud on the road.

After two lost Olympic Games, a lost Commonwealth Games try and even a failure in trying to land the World's Fair, Peterson said, "It's about damned time we won."

It's time future generations of athletes won, he really means.

bigguy1231

Oct 18, 2009, 5:27 AM

Not really sure what to make of this article, although putting the stadium in Burlington seems like some ridiculous speculation.

The largest athletic project is a new stadium earmarked for Hamilton, intended to hold the track and field events before morphing into a new home for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. David Braley, who has prime minister Stephen Harper's ear and is an invaluable agent for the bid, has been pushing for the new stadium. Now that Braley is in line to buy the Toronto Argonauts, there is speculation in Hamilton that the stadium could be reshaped into a joint Argo-Ticat stadium in somewhere like Burlington. It's only idle talk, at this point, but it is interesting talk, for sure.

I can't see Braley supporting the idea of putting the stadium in Burlington, since he is one of the prime movers for building the stadium in Hamilton. He has been pushing for a new stadium in Hamilton since he owned the Ti Cats.

The other problem is where is Burlington going to get it's 50 million dollar share of the cost. Each level of government is committed to paying 1/3 of the cost of a 15,000 seat stadium. The addition of 15,000 more seats to make it suitable for CFL use will also be bourne by the city, so add another 100 million to the cost. There is no way Burlington has the resources for that. Corporate support may pay for some but the city, either Burlington or Hamilton is going to be on the hook for the rest.

SteelTown

Oct 21, 2009, 11:05 AM

Stadium designer scores awards

October 21, 2009
John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/657393

The man who designed Hamilton's proposed Pan Am stadium is behind two major awards for the Vancouver Olympics speedskating facility.

Bob Johnston is the architect whose company conceived the Richmond Olympic Oval, which was cited recently by the Institution of Structural Engineers for its unique roof.

That followed an honour from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for innovation in the science category.

"We managed to beat out the Bird's Nest in Beijing and the new Wimbledon stadium, which was very tough competition," Johnston said of the engineering award.

It named his firm, Cannon Design, in the citation for Fast & Epp Structural Engineers, which created the roof covering 2.6 hectares.

It is unique in using salvaged wood from forests damaged by pine beetles. If harvested quickly, the wood doesn't lose its strength.

The architectural institute honour cited that innovation plus environmentally friendly utilities integrated "seamlessly" into the structural system.

Moreover, the award cited the flexibility in taking the facility from an Olympic skating venue to a multi-purpose centre of excellence for sports, recreation and wellness.

"That's the great opportunity we have for the Hamilton stadium, too," said Johnston. "While the model doesn't show a lot of detail, we've thought out all the aspects of making it a 365-day-a-year facility, not just something for special events."

He said the Bay and Barton streets location plus the rise of land the stadium would fit into provide a unique setting to create something special.

Johnston said his design makes for a seamless upgrade from 15,000-seat Pan Am stadium to 25,000-seat facility as home of the Tiger-Cats.