With the election out of the way, it is time to turn one’s attention to issues closer to home. Other than the Green Line, what could be a bigger issue than building a home for the Calgary Flames using taxpayer money?.As I understand it, the $1.2 billion project will be funded with $907 million, mostly government money. The Flames organization will put in $40 million up front and pay an annual “rental” of $17 million, increasing by one percent per year for thirty-five years. From this math, it is not clear whether the $1.2 billion includes some ongoing capital costs or not. It is also not clear who will be on the hook for cost overruns which are guaranteed to occur. Calling it an “event center” is a cute way of hiding the fact that the project is mostly a bribe to keep a professional hockey team in Calgary. No doubt the city councillors are keen for this project to anchor a new development south of Stampede Park. Maybe there is a good argument to support that enthusiasm but if there is, I haven’t heard it..So, my taxes will be going up to fund a community rink and a new home for the Flames. It will be financed in such a way that I will likely be on the hook for the inevitable cost overruns. Unlike the Green Line, it will be hard to cut the “event center” in half to hide the fact that costs have doubled. With a memory that goes back as far as 2013, I wonder what will happen to the “event center” when the inevitable flood comes? Oh yeah… Springbank Pond… I wonder if the insurers will write up a policy on the strength of the Springbank Pond.. Rivers DistrictArtist's rendering of the proposed Rivers District development. .I am not a big Flames fan so, big surprise, call me sceptical. I am indifferent whether Calgary has a professional hockey team or not. The game prices are above my limited means, and I refuse invites from friends with tickets because the noise at the games requires me to wear hearing protection and I look stupid doing so..But here is an alternative idea. Since Calgarians, contra the polling I have seen, are deemed to be in love with building more white elephants (defined as “money out is greater than money in”) then let’s take the approach of “go big or go home”..Herewith my great idea. The City of Calgary should work with the University of Calgary to redevelop the entire block of land comprising McMahon Stadium, Father Bauer arena, the ball diamond and related parking lots to build a covered, all-weather stadium that seats more than 20,000, hearing impaired fans. The ice rink can be built into the stadium design allowing for a quick transformation from football to hockey to baseball. The related infrastructure could include finally improving Crowchild Trail to eliminate the last remaining traffic lights. This would change the concept from “event center” to “events center” allowing the multipurpose facility to accommodate large conventions, concerts and a host of sporting events. Would it still be a white elephant? I am not so sure..In my cramped view of the world, the Stampeders provide a much more satisfying product for much less cost, and they are not constantly whining about taxpayers not providing them with a new facility. It is time that the Stampeders and the soccer/concert/baseball and hockey fans of Calgary build a facility that is truly multipurpose and competes favourably in size with the average American high school stadium..Frankly, what is on the table is a terrible deal for the taxpayers of Calgary and it widely misses the mark in terms of important social infrastructure required by a city of over one million residents. My suggestion is that we all write to our city counsellors and ask them to solicit concept bids for such a facility from city architectural firms with cost estimates in the +/- 35% range. I suppose the city planners can give an estimate of equal accuracy for the related infrastructure costs..With a larger and more encompassing development, the crankiness of people like me will be diluted across many sports teams and so can be safely ignored. And the facility won’t be flooded when the unrelenting rains come. If the cost estimate is too high, we can cancel the Green Line to fund the difference. There are lots of wins with this idea!.Let the people decide in a plebiscite between three options: a new home for the Flames, a new multipurpose facility, or nothing at all. Write to your councillor and let’s see what happens..From 2015 to 2020, Murray Lytle PhD. P.Eng, was a Member of the National Energy Board.
