Quote:
Originally Posted by T-Dog
I haven't read through all 31 pages of this thread, so apologies if it's been discussed elsewhere - I'm wondering what the likelihood is that the money earmarked for "upgrades" to the Saddledome and McMahon Stadium could be used towards hammering out a deal with the Flames to build new? Really seems like a waste to spend money upgrading facilities that could potentially been torn down in a few years. Would hosting the Olympics be a catalyst to actually build a new stadium and arena? If we had some sense that this would be the case, I'd be more inclined to get on board with an Olympic bid.
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The renovations to McMahon should provide a renewal to the building to make it useful for additional decades. I think the proposed renovations are probably the best, most financially sound option going forward. Realistically, it's unlikely that we'll ever see someone come along to spend the $300+ million required for a totally new stadium.
The in-stadium experience at McMahon isn't bad, the biggest problems are the crowded and out-of-date concourse and washrooms, and overall accessibility issues. The proposed renovations would address those problems.
If done right, a renovated McMahon should serve Calgary and the Stampeders well for many more years, at a fraction of the cost of a new stadium.
For the Saddledome, I don't know how much money is earmarked in the budget for the work required there, but some of it would likely be saved if the building ends up hosting figure skating and short track instead of hockey. If the Flames move out in the next few years, it probably won't need a new ice plant for the Olympics. Also, the dressing room requirements are a lot less for figure skating than they are for hockey. With hockey, there are 2 or 3 games played in the building every day, which increases the crowd-handling requirements over figure skating/short track, which only have one event per day most days.
There will still likely need to be some money spent at the Saddledome (primarily for improving washroom accessibility), but probably not as much as is included in the budget.