Want To Buy A 1999 Arena

It's called high pressure sales tactics. Now you know how it feels when you buy a used car with low mileage at a terrific price and find out it's really a clunker that costs you more in the long-run and really does not suit your purposes.

We had rammed down our throat by a Mayor and old Council afraid of not being re-elected a "used" 1999 concept designed for a family of 35,000 residents in Port Huron at a cheap price instead of buying in 2006 a recreational and arena complex needed by a City family of 200,000 people. The newbies on Council went along with it too. And we bought the deal!

We saved money over getting something that we really needed. According to Councillor Loopy:

• "You have to be realistic. I can appreciate you want it more comfortable, but I don't know how much more that would cost."
  
  Coun. Percy Hatfield, a member of the arena construction steering committee, can answer that: "It would cost millions more ..."

In passing, we can assume that Councillor Loopy will not be running for Mayor. Is that why his name appears in print to deal with the criticism rather than that of the Chair, the Councillor formerly known as Councillor Budget. Is that why the Ward 1 Councillor will NEVER appear on John Fairley's interview progran? John would rip him to shreds!

What's everybody getting so excited about now respecting the new arena? It has always been about politics--getting re-elected--and not the arena. We rushed because Project Ice Track went to Tecumseh after they were high-sticked in the face by the City in the first place. We made a deal even before signing the contract. Time was of the essence.

Because of the costs of that arena, we effectively ran out of money for other projects until it is paid off. But it did pay-off for 4 years for those who came back in office.

I have always been concerned about the arena deal and how the process was handled. Does anyone have any idea what it is really costing us when one adds in the extras including the road-building?

To keep with the car analogy, as the Star said about the LaSalle arena:

• "LaSalle taxpayers not only have a right to feel angry. They have a duty. Their town offered them a great deal on a car and only told them after the sale they would have to pay extra for the engine. "

Why get so upset now? Instead of partnering with a private enterprise party who was to bear all of the risks over and above a $15M taxpayer payment by building a new arena downtown to revitalize the area, we are taking all of the financial risk to create a "new downtown" in the East End. And we gave away a prime piece of downtown real estate for good measure.

The picture above came from a BLOG I wrote in October, 2006. Why the fuss? As I wrote before:

• "You now know that Councillors were in such a rush to do something to get re-elected that they had no idea what they were getting and that they were buying something that did not work for us"

I asked then:

• "Are we getting a state-of-the-art 2006-designed facility that makes us a world leader in arenas or something designed in 1999 (or perhaps earlier) that was to be built in Port Huron? Have there been new, innovative design elements introduced since 1999? Has anyone compared what this arena is like compared with other arenas in other cities? Note that in its Report, Administration has said that it has NOT completed (or has it even started?) its due diligence of the PCR proposal. That was supposed to take 90 days."

It should not be a surprise that there is a lack of seating. If we had elected ex-hockey dad, Dave Wonham, as mayor, we would not have had this issue. He first pointed out the lack of seating at the three "Practice rinks" so tournaments could not be held. Read on from my October 10, 2006 BLOG "What Does $48 Million Get Us--A LaSalle Arena:"

• "Here is something that might give Hockey League people pause. Where are the seats for the Practice Rink area? I did not see them on the PCR plan in their package! They were not referred to in their specs.
  
  I thought I heard that there was going to be seating for 280 for the three "Practice rinks." But weren't they to replace Riverside and Adstoll? Does such a low seating number make sense if the way money is going to be made is to hold hockey tournaments, ice skating shows etc. Where are people going to sit? The PCR proposal only seems to include "in-rink and heated out-of-rink public viewing galleries for each rink" but no description of any seating.
  
  Then this is NOT replacement but changing the whole nature of what the Community rinks were. It is nothing more than three ice-pads. It is NOT replacing Adstoll or Riverside. How could it be?
  
  I received this information in an email from Mayoral candidate, David Wonham, who is a "hockey dad." His children played hockey and he travelled around to other cities for tournaments over the years.
  
  "Adstoll sits 900, and has had 1300 at one time, Riverside's seating is similar [700 seating but sometimes up to 1,000 people attend]. Is the new facility of PCR only for practice ice, and not suitable for games, championships or tournaments.... Adstoll is about 60% WMHA, and hosts Riverside, Sunparlour and the Riverside Skating club also. Riverside is similar, but also has a large hall attached."
  
  The cost of a Twin pad recreational facility was said to be in the range of $22 million. We are to get an extra rink with PCR but obviously, we are not getting the "arena" aspect of the existing sites if PCR's total price is $48M."

Here is what PCR offered and what we bought. Read it carefully:

• "The Centre we propose is approximately 288,000 sqft which will include a spectator arena....Also included within this structure, provisions have been made for 3 recreational ice pads and a community center."

We got what we paid for: provisons!

That's why Councillor Loopy can insult taxpayers by saying:

• "we're locked in because of the design. He said Windsor got a great deal on a completed design and that if the same arena were to be built in some other community today it would cost up to $15 more than what the city paid."

Yes Councillor, that is why I do not take the supposed cost of the arena seriously at all. Again as I BLOGGED

• "how [can] a 1999 arena priced at $60M be built in 2006 after the increase in costs over that time period (eg 35% for the bus terminal, tripling for streetscaping) for $48M"

The Mayor seems to have forgotten also why the rinks opened early, before everything was completed. It's that damned amnesia disease striking again at City Hall. In his CKLW interview he claimed that the Community rinks were opened since users wanted to get on the ice to accommodate their schedules. He also said if it was up to "us," the entire facility would have opened up at the same time.

That is not quite right Mr. Mayor. As I BLOGGED before:

• Remember the story:
  
  "The city will explore the possibility of moving up the opening date of its new arena, at a projected extra cost of at least $500,000.
  
  Originally planned to open in January, the $64-million, 6,500-seat WFCU Centre could open in September, arena steering committee members have been told. That's because part of the 302,000-square-foot complex on McHugh Street will be ready by then, parks and recreation director Don Sadler said Thursday."
  
  We were not told the reason why the opening date might have to be moved up. However, it appears that our Arena geniuses did not consider that if the Arena opened in January, 2009 groups would have booked their ice time elsewhere. The Arena would lose big bucks being empty for months:
  
  "J. Wilson is concerned that in 2009 half of the pads could be empty when groups book elsewhere and don't sign on to the new facility. She adds that the business case presumed a full year of operation. She can prepare a report for various operations based on concerns and look at nine pads, closing both Riverside and Adstoll."

For those of you who thought we would get at least as much as we were giving up by closing down Riverside and Adstoll and that we would get hopefully more after spendign $65M and counting, were you ever wrong. All we got was a TRADE-OFF. But hey, Eddie got his second term so he is happy:

Stop complaining and whining and naysaying. We wanted an arena. We got one. Who cares if it works or not. The Cleary turned into a white elephant. So will this arena. We'll just have to live with it now.

And some want Eddie to do a Tunnel deal or be involved in the design of a road to the border or take seriously a canal project. HELP!