Editorial from today's T&T:
Not there yet
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Times & Transcript
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=12591
Mayor George LeBlanc is right to be unhappy with a price approximately $1 million higher than previously advertised and there is a mighty long way to go yet before the first sod is finally cut for a downtown events centre, yet we must acknowledge City of Moncton staff and Moncton City Council, after what was doubtless hundreds of hours of work, have done a good job getting the project to this crucial point.
Those who have had doubts about the City’s seriousness in making this vital project happen received by far their best signal yet to the contrary on Tuesday with councils motion, albeit narrowly passed, to purchase 11 acres of the former Highfield Square shopping mall property for $12.5 million. Indeed we expect the mayor is correct when he speculates expropriation would have been cheaper and are puzzled why the City chose not to go this route. But at least the ‘buy’ is done and in the long run it could serve the City well. The events centre itself will require less than half the 11 acres and now the City has control over a considerable piece of land that will be among the most sought-after by developers who want to take advantage of Moncton’s first major ‘core’ development project in 25 years. The new centre could spur growth especially in the immediate downtown area and we believe it is essential that a significant portion of it work within the theme of establishing Metro Moncton as a sports and entertainment capital for Atlantic Canada.
Unfortunately, all the work to get us to this point may have gone for naught with council’s decision Wednesday to issue a request for proposals for a centre with a maximum of 7,500 seats. It is significant in our view that the mayor also cast a nay on this vote. He understands the ‘entertainment capital’ project is in fact a regional competition and Moncton’s main rival for the business, Halifax,already has a 10,000-seat centre and wants to make it bigger.
This isn’t about ‘oneupmanship’ on a neighbour, it’s about the business of attracting the best variety and scope of entertainment possible. Council should consider the ‘big picture’ and reconsider this decision.
We Say:
Optimism for events centre gets boost with site purchase, but project too small.
Personal note - It's intriguing that the mayor cast nay votes to both the purchase of the Highfield Square site and to the issuance of the RFP. His reasons are understandable and do not constitute any opposition to the project in general. Indeed, in most ways, the events centre is in fact his "baby". This may be an indication however that he has lost control of the file, and the people really in charge of the project now are the bureaucrats at city hall, supported by the majority of members on city council……..
I wonder if this scenario would be playing out in this manner if Ian Fowler were still alive. Ian had great influence in the city hall bureaucracy and certainly had the "vision thing". He would have been a very valuable behind the scenes booster for this project - certainly much more so than his successor Jacques Dube, who seems to have the demeanour and approach of an accountant or an actuary. 
In any event, the T&T editorial is wrong in one important respect. The RFP is not for an arena with a maximum of 7,500 seats, but is instead for an arena with a minimum of 7,500 seats. As such, there is at least a faint glimmer of hope that the final seat count within the affordability cap of $95M might be somewhat higher - perhaps 8,000 or 8,500. I suspect though, given the fact that the RFP is also for management of the facility when completed, that the successful party will opt for a lower number just for fiscal prudence and to improve their bottom line during the management phase of the contract.
All in all, this is a disappointing turn of events. 
Prev
Linear Mode
