Quote:
Originally Posted by Taeolas
For what it is worth, while I probably won't use the facilities, I don't mind supporting the city building the new ones. It's well past time we stopped relying on the Universities to plug the gap of services we should have as a city, and let the University pay the City for a change basically.
I just hope they don't do another stupid "both sides" compromise like they did with the arenas.
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As a semi-interested outside observer and increasingly frequent visitor (one of my sons currently lives in Freddy after graduating from engineering from UNB), I have the following observation.
Freddy now has a CA population north of 100k, and will soon be Canada's newest CMA. It really isn't that much smaller than SJ and Moncton and as such I think it's time that Freddy starts playing with the big boys.
If SJ and Moncton have major arenas, then so should Freddy (and I don't mean leaching off the Aitken Centre like you guys have for the last 30-40 years or so).
There are major aquatic facilities in SJ and in Dieppe (Moncton). Freddy should have one too. Either cough up the cash to have a joint facility with UNB or get off your touche and build one yourself.
SJ is building a fieldhouse on the exhibition grounds. Moncton has major recreational complexes at the CN Sportplex and the Hal Betts Complex (but no fieldhouse per se). If Freddy wants a fieldhouse, then go ahead and build it.
Freddy shouldn't be so reliant on the university to provide it's recreational facilities. Freddy is big enough to build these things on it's own. I appreciate the northside/southside dilemma, but there is east SJ and west SJ too, and Moncton is even worse with Moncton/Riverview/Dieppe. Compromises have to be made. Most Frederictonians live on the south side of the river. That's where most of the recreational facilities should be built.
Fredericton - It's time to seize your destiny. You aren't just a sleepy little capital city and university town any more. You are soon to be one of the big boys, joining an elite company of about 35 CMAs in Canada. If you want the trappings of a big city, then you are going to have to pony up the cost of building these amenities.