Maybe I am out to lunch here but if the city isn't going to pay for half the project perhaps ownership should look at doing only half the project? How much is the Edmonton arena like $480M? According to King ownership is promising $450M towards CalgaryNEXT. In my opinion the most pressing need is a new events centre. The Flames, Hitmen, Rpughnecks all play there and several concerts occur every year. A new building finds homes for those 3 teams and likely adds several big concerts that can't happen at the Dome because of the roof configuration.
The Field House is a needed project at some point but does it have to be coupled with the Events Centre? This will be a year round multi purpose facility but currently it is not funded. The Stamps could definitely use a new home but at the end of the day it is 9 CFL games a year. I have stated several times in this thread I don't mind McMahon on a summer day. CFL football is not the NHL where I would rather wait for intermission to go to the bathroom or grab a beer. I never find it hard to get beer, food, or use the restroom at McMahon. If this project was bringing a NFL or even MLS team to Calgary that is a different story. It is a home for the Stamps and an amateur multi spot complex. It would be great to have but not as great as an events centre.
Easier said than done by ownership could cough up another $50M and split the cost with the customer and build a new $500M events centre in the land just north of the Dome. The Dome is torn down once completed and the Flames, Roughnecks, Hitmen have a new home
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