'Enormous' job challenge ahead for new Pan Am chair

'Enormous' job challenge ahead for new Pan Am chair

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/696817

December 29, 2009 John Kernaghan

The Hamilton Spectator

Chairman Roger Garland, hopes to convene

a host company (or HostCo) board meeting soon
with the priority of hiring a CEO and management team.

Possible candidates for the job include Canadian Olympic
Committee CEO Chris Rudge, lready on the Pan Am board,

and Toronto 2010 bid company CEO Jagoda Pike.

Pike, the former Toronto Star and Hamilton
Spectator publisher, has declined to comment.

Rudge said recently he hasn't thrown his hat in any ring.

He is focused on Vancouver 2010, but said
he was flattered to be considered a candidate

and would talk if anyone was to contact him post-Olympics.

IMO, the HostCo should get started without a CEO in place
and hold out until they can get Chris Rudge for the job.

Hamilton city councillors will receive an update Jan. 11 on the status
of the process leading to development of two facilities for the city

-- a $100-million stadium and $11.3-million velodrome.

McMaster University is in line for a $35-million pool to be used for training
during the 2015 Games and Burlington is slated for a $23-million soccer facility.

On Feb. 18, Adames will report to council on a consultant's study
setting out the business case for the stadium and then two sites,

the city's preferred West Harbour and an airport lands location.

Plain English, please. I am confused.

What is meant by the status of the process leading
to development of two facilities for the city

What is meant by setting out the business case for the stadium.

it just means they are going to have a study to decide how to build the facilities and where ..
the buissiness case it could be anything its not too specific

No surprise here that all of the ducks don’t appear to be in a row. Given those 2 choices it has to be the Rheem site for the games. I really can’t see how they can make the transportation system work at the airport since without scheduling massive temporary busing from Toronto to Mount Hope.

No surprise that my ducks may not be in a row, AKT?

I prefer to wait to hire Chris Rudge as the HostCo C.E.O.,
until after the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics are over

but that doesn't mean the newly elected HostCo board's
ducks aren't all lined up perfectly to vote right away

for whoever THEY WANT as C.E.O right away, AKT.

P.S.

I would be interested to know, AKT, is everybody a bum
on the HostCo Pan Am committee, or just most of them?

I meant that the buisness plan for a stadium isn't done before committing to it. Nothing to do with who's on the committee. As I said for the most part I don't care who'd speaking for Toronto, I just wanted a knowledgeable voice for Hamilton. I don't think Braley is the right guy. Whoever heads it up doesn't matter to me either because ultimately Toronto will be given top priority on every issue no matter who's in charge.

One thing that does surprise me is how Bob Young seems to be left out in any articles mentioning the Pan-Ams and how he could be influential as part of the Pan-Am committee. Why that is I have no idea, maybe he has no interest at all in the Pan-Ams apart from the stadium aspect. :?

Perhaps because has nothing to do with the games and will have no ownership in the stadium… ( i don’t now just a guess )

You are referring to this, I presume, AKT.

On Feb. 18, Adames will report to council on a consultant's study [i]setting out the business case[/i] for the stadium and then two sites,

the city’s preferred West Harbour and an airport lands location.


The city councillors were working to strict deadlines, AKT

They had to vote 'Yes" before the consultants they hired had time
to present them with several Pan Am stadium concepts and designs.

or they would lose the Pan Am stadium to another city in the G.T.A.

After reading that quote again I realized what was meant
by setting out the business case for the stadium.

I also realize now that ‘the status of the process
leading to development of two facilities for the city’

means, in this quote

Hamilton city councillors will receive an update Jan. 11 on [i]the status of the process leading to development of two facilities for the city [/i] -- a $100-million stadium and $11.3-million velodrome.
that the consultant will show the councillors a preliminary report on Jan. 11 2009.

Follow the money; $50 million dollars from the city, $50 million from province
and the federal government, millions or 10s of millions of dollars from the Ticats

That makes the city, the province and the federal government the major players
in the stadium that will be built here in Hamilton for the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Once it`s location is determined and there are plans to look over,
the Tiger Cats will come to the table and have a look at them.

If they decide to become a tenant and invest a significant amount,
they will have input from the stadium`s design features and beyond.

The more money they put up the more influence they will have.

Yup you got it. I think that the city or anyone else for that matter should pass in major investments like this if they don’t have time to develop a strong buisness case first. The pitfalls in jumping into a $55M investment without proper research and lack of control of the process are enormous in a very general way, not just specifically the Pan Am Games. This wntire process could turn out wonderfully or terribly for the city and frankly without having a plan put together first they had no idea which it would be

I like reading AKT's posts. He/she makes a hell of a lot of sense.

I "get" AKT :rockin:

I understand that. Now, I know 2 wrongs don't make a right but was there such a plan for Copps Coliseum when the city didn't have a team? That would be interesting to know. Because for darn sure the TiCats deserve something along the lines of Mystery Team NHL Hamilton.

I must be a bit dense.

A very understandable point of view, AKT,

not having a completely developed business plan
before you commit to a project is a very big NO NO

and many of the councillors struggled with this.

I was there listening to them at the meeting
at which they had to vote 'Yes" or lose out

on $50 million dollars of government infrastructure money

and yet-to-be-determined 10s of millions of $$ in private money

to build a much needed city-owned football stadium
and a much needed pool for Mc Master University

and, also, a velodrome for the City of Hamilton.

The city was in control of the proceess, research was underway,
experts presented information and others were soon to be hired.

Businesses usually need a strong business plan to get financing
but this project is backed by the provincial and federal governments

so that reason for having a business plan in advance is not a concern.

Once the consultants come up with a few designs and business plans
the Ticats can get involved, and the Ticats and the city, can pick

a suitable design and business plan to fit both of their needs.

Sorry about that Ron, I was referring to what AKT mentioned and am wondering if there was a strong business case/plan back when Copps was built when Hamilton did not have an NHL team secured first:

Yup you got it. I think that the city or anyone else for that matter should pass in major investments like this if they don’t have time to develop a strong buisness case first. The pitfalls in jumping into a $55M investment without proper research and lack of control of the process are enormous in a very general way, not just specifically the Pan Am Games. This wntire process could turn out wonderfully or terribly for the city and frankly without having a plan put together first they had no idea which it would be

Ron:
You would have received this message earlier, but I am in the throes of wrestling with a new lap top computer
and with my limited knowledge of same, I’m lost until I get one of my kids here to give me a hand.

I would just like to say that I appreciate all of your research on locating the new stadfium and the addition of
David Braley to the Pan Am Committee. We continue to disagree on the stadium’s location, but I find that
the balance of your research is excellant.

In terms of locating the stadium, I continue to like the Airport Lands or the juction of the Red Hill Valley
Expressway and the Linc, but I wouldn’t let these personal wishes dissuade me from the Rheem property
if we happen to build it there. I am just grateful that finally a real Tiger Cat Dream is to be realized.

Thanks again, Ron for all your well thought out and studied input.

Spike.

Here's one reason why a good business plan makes sense:

Hockey adds to HECFI financial pain

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/697537

Love this statement in the article:

We're perplexed by attendance numbers but we're hoping for a happier new year.

Well, I'm not that bright but this guy isn't perplexed about the attendance for Bulldogs games. The arena is a dissconnect for the AHL and just doesn't fit with that league. The arena was built without an NHL tenant and the city did this making everyone think Hamilton has an NHL team in the bag, so hopes are now only for the NHL. What a shame when Hamilton could have been a real leader in junior hockey building a great 10,000 seater along the lines of London and packed it perhaps all the time like London. The city only has themselves to blame. There is no excitement for hockey in Hamilton with the AHL I'm afraid in the wrong arena. Blow it up and get a junior team here with a great 10,000 seater if a business plan makes sense doing this, of course. Make a call to London, they seem to know what they are doing hockey-wise, entertainment aspects. :wink:

A New Stadium for Hamilton in the west Harbor area is a great thing for the City of Hamilton and a long time coming, considering the money other Canadian cities are given for such projects, Hamilton has been badly neglected at the Provincial and Federal level, Some who despise Hamilton seem to be trying to use this forum to discredit the process and the City, This is a once in a Century Opportunity for Hamilton, despite all the Fear mongering and negative b.s !!

Earl you seem to be forgetting that the CITY built a state of the art stadium to attract the NHL, Copps was the best arena in Canada until Montreal and Toronto built new rinks some 20 years later, And copps is still a great place to watch a game, ( do you have attendance stats for toronto’s minor(ahl) affiliates over that time frame, probably no better than the bulldogs, IMHO the Blame for Copps not having a NHL should be on the NHL , Or are you forgetting that Ottawa was awarded a team without having a place for that team to play? IF you want a CFL team in Burlington then perhaps you should petition the CFL for an expansion franchise!!

Further to the posts made by Earl and Massdestruction, Copps Coliseum has also played host to the 1987 Canada Cup, some games of the 1994 World Basketball Championships, and concerts from top performers such as U2 and Bruce Springsteen over the years. Many wonderful sports and entertainment opportunities would have been lost had Hamilton constructed a 9,000 seat arena in 1985. Also, Hamilton had the best bid and the best arena among the cities competing for NHL expansion teams in 1990 but the NHL basically ignored the bid at the insistence of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres.

By the way, the Hamilton Bulldogs are averaging 4,607 fans per game this season, ranking them 12th out of 29 AHL teams. The AHL average attendance is 4,560 per game. The Toronto Marlies rank 27th in the league with an average attendance of 3,122 per game.

http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?view=attendance

Admittedly, the Bulldogs are playing very well this season and deserve better attendance. On his CHML radio show on Friday, Bob Bratina noted the Marlies' low attendance figures and implied that Copps Coliseum would benefit by hosting the Leafs' AHL farm team somewhere down the road. However, although attendance at Copps Coliseum would probably improve in such a scenario, this would forever solidify MLSE's argument that the Hamilton professional hockey market belongs to the Toronto Maple Leafs and would permanently dash the slim hope of Hamilton ever attaining its own NHL team.