To the editor:
The Concerned Taxpayers of Thunder Bay believe that Plan B for a proposed event and convention entre is a bad plan for city taxpayers.
This plan would have Lakehead University the primary tennant of the proposed $114-million event centre.
Although the Lakehead University ThunderWolves have always had an excellent hockey program they play a reduced schedule of about 20 games a year.
This would do little to offset the huge operational loss that city taxpayers would be on the hook for each year which by Year 5 would be pushing upwards close to $2 million.
It is also unlikely that the university would hold many other events in the event centre as they have their own fieldhouse for basketball and volleyball as well as their own convention centre space.
This boondoggle of a project has been botched fron day one when taxpayers were promised a vote in the form of a plebiscite by the current mayor.
The cost of this project has skyrocketed fro a $50 million dollar multiplex to a $114 million dollar event centre.
And a new facility does not replace the Fort William Gardens as it must remain in some form as the city still has over 30 years remaining on its lease with the Fort William Curling Club that is attached to the Gardens. Making the curling club a stand alone facility would also be very expensive and an added expense for city taxpayers.
Even if the city obtains some funding from the federal and provincial government for this project it will be the taxpayers of this city that will have to anti up an equal amount.
And it will be the taxpayers who will have to pay all of the opertating loss each year which will by year five would be close to $2 million. This is about 20 times more than Municipal Golf Course lost, a course we apparently could no longer afford to keep.
City taxpayers have seen more than $5 million dollars wasted on studies for this proposed facility while much of the city's infrustructure continues to deteriorate. One only has to drive down Balmoral Street to see this first hand.
The city previously stated there was not enough time to hold a plebiscite and they didn't know what question to ask. The next municipal election is 3 years away. There is lots of time to put this on the ballot and perhaps they can figure out the question.
In the meantime lets remember that city residents have been rocked with very high tax and water rate increases the last few years and can ill afford to proceed with this project now.
Raymond A. Smith-
Chairman,
Concerned Taxpayers of Thunder Bay
