A POLL for CITY HALL to look at regarding STADIUM.

Hey, I hear you slodrive and basically agree with you. Personally, I like IWS and think it's great, old but great. However, so was Maple Leaf Gardens. Sure, the CFL doesn't need to generate the funds of the NHL for a team, the costs aren't nearly as great.

I also don't like cookie-cutter facilities which is why MLB teams are going and have gone with retro looking stadiums rather than concrete bowl like things like the Rogers Centre.

Sooner or later though, IWS could very well have some structural problems like Frank Clair. That you have to agree with. Then what do you do? Crisis management at that point? Fix'er up quick otherwise, well, who knows. No, the most prudent course of action is to start the debate now and let it run it's course. Like when you get old and think you might have problems getting up the stairs in your house when you're 90 in a few years. Do you wait until that day you can't make it up and fall down, possibly killing yourself? Or do you plan and say my knees are shot, in a couple of years I won't make it upstairs to my bed. I better plan now and do whatever. That's the best course of action I think to take rather than wait for the crisis to happen.

Ha ha!! Love the analogy, Earl!! However, to link it to Frank Clair would be to avoid going to the doctor for 4 or 5 years.

I just don’t think ‘structural issues’ come out of nowhere. Often they’ve been there from the get-go.

But, yeah, I hear ya. Sooner or later there will, at the least, be the need for major fixing or upgrades. That’s fine. But, I still think you can plan for that.

My guess is that IWS will be upgraded in some form or another and there will not be a new stadium, which is fine with me. But in terms of overall city planning, assuming a proper business plan could exist for a new stadium, something to consider would be to turn the land where IWS is now into a park with trees and walking paths and apparatus for kids to play on as this area of town could use more green space and build a new stadium on land where a park isn't needed since there is parkland closeby anyways. Of course that's assuming it makes business sense to do this. Just my preference, that's all, which means zilch, like my wife tells me from time to time. :wink:

I have been reading through this thread with great interest and commend all of the posters for their fine insight and ideas.

I must go on record at this point in time as being among those who want a new stadium and I’ll go a step further with this wish list and say, I hope its on the south mountain, close to the airport. (as the city already appears to favour)

This being said, I can empathize with those of you who think the city’s infrastructure is more important than a new stadium. I think you’re correct in this assumption; however, Ivor Wynne stadium is now known to be in fairly bad shape. We could spend money on it and squeeze a few more years out of it, but there is a safety factor attached to all of this too.

The stadium “could” stand for another 10-20 years or the inevitable could occur when its too late.

All of these factors have to be closely
weighed by experts who actually know what
they are talking about, and I don’t mean politicians only.

The band aid treatment has been used at IWS for the past 10 to 30 years depending on where in this old relic you care to look.

I’m not saying that this is wrong, but there comes a point in time, where luck runs out.

Unlike another responder on this thread, I think there is plenty of room on the south mountain to sustain a stadium, associated parking, shops, etc. It could also provide a nicer television view than the industrial view we currently show the world.

Thanks to the link, this area would have access to all major highways along with the HSR and the airport. To me, its an ideal spot.

A new edifice would have to accommodate more than just football, but it’s primary function, should remain football and sightlines which support football.

I would like to see other events in such a structure (and city brass have been kicking this idea around) which would help defer the expense of building it. eg. AA or AAA Baseball, concerts, etc.

Meanwhile, with Ivor Wynne Stadium in a state of structural breakdown, it would be foolish
IMHO to wait for the inevitable at a “possible” cost of losing lives and a great franchise. I don’t mean to sound fatalistic, but nasty things “could” happen if we maintain the status quo. Hopefully, this will never be the case.

I am 100% behind a new stadium, provided it is funded in the following manner:

35% City, 35% Province and 30% Federal. It also must be a state of the art facility which will be the best facility in the league. The city another item to be proud of and this could be it. I want it to be the envy of the league. As for location, downtown (not sure where) is the best location. This would help in the downtown revitalization which the city was doing well at but seems to have lost some momentum. It should seat about 40,000 fans with a stretch to 45. I item I would like to see is close sidelines.