Author: Mike Cluett

Year End Interview With Mayor Gord Krantz

Mike Cluett

Pan Am velodrome big issue going into new year

Mayor hopes to see funding commitment for indoor cycling track

From Christina Commisso, Milton Canadian Champion

Mayor Gord Krantz says he has learned more about velodromes in the latter part of 2011 than in his whole life.

That learning curve is expected to continue into this year, as the velodrome is one of many Milton projects on the agenda for 2012.

The long-serving Milton mayor told the Champion in a recent interview that he hopes to see a funding commitment for the indoor cycling track this year — one of his many New Year’s wishes.

“This is a huge international sport and it’s growing. There will be 20 to 25 international meets in Canada each year, and they could happen right here,” he said.

Tourism boom could erupt

The 74-year-old mayor said if the velodrome business plan is approved by Milton council and construction is given a green light, he envisions a hotel or two popping up in the immediate area and a tourism boom for the town. “Tourism is a huge industry in Canada, and we’re looking for our piece of that industry.”

The velodrome is closely tied to the Milton Education Village (MEV). The 150-acre parcel of land at Derry and Tremaine roads will serve as home to the cycling track and to a Laurier University satellite campus if Milton gets its way.

Krantz said he was hoping to see more movement on the MEV campus in 2011, “but I’m far from being naïve,” he said.

“The Province has a cash crunch issue…I can’t blame them for being a little cautious,” adding that he’d like to see the funding come through in the next couple of years.

“Where else are they going to get 150 acres of free land? The Province is roughly 60,000 (post-secondary) spaces short and here we are ready and able and willing to help.”

Mayor wishes for ground-breaking

The mayor’s final wish for the new year is a ground-breaking for the Milton District Hospital expansion, a long-awaited promise that came to fruition this past summer.

As for predictions for 2012, the mayor said one thing will be inevitable in Milton — traffic.

“I’ll apologize for that in advance,” said Krantz, pointing to the Main Street grade separation just east of Ontario Street. “It’s going to cause a disruption and I’ll be the first one to acknowledge that.”

Asked why the Town didn’t plan the construction pre-population boom when the traffic impact would be less intense, Krantz said there was simply no way to fund the $50 million, four-year project.

“Development charges are paying for a huge portion of the project,” he said.

Krantz said while Milton is far-removed from the financial crises taking place around the globe, he believes the Town could feel some of the pinch.

“The federal and provincial governments can have an indirect impact,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if certain government services are downloaded to the municipal level. 

 

Milton Velodrome Discussion

Mike Cluett

If you follow the Hawthorne Villager forum, you will see there’s been quite the discussion amongst the posters about the potential velodrome in Milton.  There is one more report to go and that will be received by council on January 23rd for review.  As soon as the report is made available online, I’ll post a link.

UPDATE:  I am including links to the Town of Milton’s website for the velodrome reports that council has reviewed during this process.  Please take some time to review them and feel free to email or post here any questions you might have.

Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games – Velodrome Status Report November 21st 2011

Velodrome Status Report, December 5th 2011

If you’ve been following my blog recently, you will have noticed I have posted quite a bit of information on the progress.  Someone tweeted me recently to ask “what does Mike think?”  So here it is.

The basis behind this facility is that its more than just cycling. Its a facility that can be and will be multi purposed. As with those other velodromes others talk about as failures this will provide more than just cycling. Basketball courts, indoor tennis, or if turf there’s indoor soccer, cricket maybe, football practice field (Ticats are you listening?)

As I mentioned during the special council meeting, the $3.8 million has already been budgeted for similar use facilities. Its in the bank so to speak and not coming out of taxes. We have been able to stand above other municipalities in the Greater Milton Area for a reason….partnership with the private sector.

This deal could NOT have been done without the assistance from the private sector. Mattamy is just ONE of the companies involved in the fundraising process for this deal…there are many many more. Tim Hockey, President and CEO of TD Canada Trust who is also an avid cyclist, is getting behind the project personally and will assist in fundraising for the velodrome. The pool of resources isnt just in Milton, its national organizations…international organizations as well that can assist in the fundraising.

That’s where other municipalities failed. They couldn’t harness the power of the private sector in getting things done. We as a council made it very clear that if we were to move forward on this there has to be minimal to NO impact on taxpayers. This can only help in growing our business base … and hence more tax revenue in town.

The Milton Education Village is just one of the keys to that success. The land is ready to go, our partners are ready to go and the provincial government needs to see that by approving Milton as one of the locations for satellite university campuses (as they have already acknowledged) it will go a long way for THEM to keep a promise made in the last election for increasing the number of post secondary spaces in Ontario. This MEV project moving forward can help kick in the pants OTHER things that Milton needs, like an interchange at Tremaine Road so that everyone on the west side of town doesn’t have to drive along Derry and or Britannia to go to the 401 and help with the backlog of traffic that way.

With moving the Canadian Cycling Association here to Milton with this facility we can help increase travel and tourism to the area. Right now we only have 2 hotels. We WILL need more (any entrepreneurs out there?) for when they hold national/international events that’s even more businesses that can benefit…from hospitality to restaurants to local businesses the impact can be huge.

Having the velodrome on campus adds some other benefits that can be looked at for revenue generating possibilities. The parking lot can be used at the university and we can charge a monthly fee for profs using it or what have you. There’s also the matter of the legacy fund set up by the Pan AM games … we don’t know the amount yet, but that should evolve through the business plan process over the next 4-6 weeks.

Is it a done deal? Not yet. ONE more report to go. That report will outline the needs for commitments at all levels so that we feel comfortable the project will stay under $40 million (contingencies are already built into that number) and that we can get the job done with our fundraising partners so that we don’t have to dip into the tax pool on this.

Sorry for the rambling and Im sure Ive missed a few points but I wanted to make sure we let people know that theres one more step in the process before its a go and I can assure you if the numbers don’t add up for me, even though Im excited about the project I wont want to see it move forward.

This town has shown others that we’re not the sleepy town we once were. I watched a Hamilton city council meeting recently when they were discussing their umpteenth attempt at getting it back and the almost disdain in their voices when they mentioned MILton of all places. We aren’t 35,000 people anymore. I know I sound sales-y by saying this but its true. Milton is a force to be paid attention to from now on. This is a project I know we can put together, that can be used for the games and years after so its not abandoned like the others and that it can help kick start the business growth we need in town to add more revenue to the town and to be the “new” centre of the universe in the GMA.

City of Hamilton “Dropped The Velodrome Ball”

Mike Cluett

From Margaret Shikmba from the Hamilton Spectator

We dropped the velodrome ball – It’s not just about cycling — it’s about how we see ourselves

 

It’s that time of year again when our thoughts turn to reflection as we think about the events of the last year and wonder: Where did the time go?

Last year at this time there was hope for change and excitement about the future.

Decisions around the Pan Am Games were still to be made. The velodrome appeared as the exciting opportunity that would differentiate Hamilton among the many southern Ontario cities and towns struggling for social-economic survival. Unfortunately it was a vision Hamilton council did not share when it voted to limit our contribution to construction costs at $5 million and not enough to bridge the funding gap.

As one of the many philosophical supporters of the velodrome, I’ve written several times about the importance of the velodrome in establishing Hamilton as a cycling destination — and not just for those who cycle in circles around a track. Our beautiful escarpment landscape, from Niagara Falls through the wine country and along the shores of two great lakes, is ideally suited for distance training and recreational cycling. It’s not just the velodrome, but the velodrome being at the heart of it all. I can see that being a hard sell to a society stuck in their cars.

When I received an email from the Hamilton Velodrome Pledge Drive I put my money where my mouth is and pledged my financial support. Sadly, I was not the one to win the $50-million lottery jackpot this past weekend, but know if I did I’d happily be the Secret Santa for the Hamilton velodrome project.

Recent reports in The Spectator, however, have indicated that there is someone, or some people, in the community who share the velodrome vision. Sources have pointed to a silent investor whose contribution could solve the funding dilemma and serve as an anchor to attract further investment. If only it were true.

When the Pan Am bid was submitted in international competition, Hamilton was the preferred location for the Pan Am velodrome, and indeed, Hamilton seemed the logical location, given our successful history with the 2003 World Road Cycling Championships. It was ours to lose.

What happened? How did we lose so much potential promise? What happened to our vision? Did we even have any to begin with? What do we see when we look around the city we live in? Are we so blinded by our “depression,” by our poor-cousin status, by our socio-economic struggles, to even entertain the thought that a project like the velodrome could be a success here in Hamilton? Who wants to come to Hamilton, people say among themselves. Even people who live here wish they lived someplace else. Maybe they’d rather go to Milton.

Just take a look at their website. Milton bills itself as one of the fastest-growing communities in North America. Vibrant, energetic, colourful, helpful. A velodrome in Milton would be a wonderful addition to their community.

Now take a look at Hamilton’s website. The initial presentation is flat with little imagination. You have to dig a little deeper to find any creativity or colour. Where would you put your money or locate your family? Which community do you think has a stronger self-image, or presents itself more positively? Why does Milton think they can carry it off and we don’t?

This is about more than just the velodrome. Hamilton bills itself as a city of innovators but that may be just wishful thinking. The debacle of the Pan Am Games puts the lie to that claim. What did we end up with? The same old same old.

The velodrome is now Milton’s to lose. I doubt they’ll let it go so easily.

Margaret Shkimba is a freelance writer who lives in Hamilton. She can be reached at menrvasofia@gmail.com or you can “Friend” her on Facebook.

City of Hamilton Was Never Back In It

Mike Cluett

As I stated in this blog  recently and in the Hamilton Spectator last week, the 2015 Pan Am Games committee has chosen Milton as the desired location for the velodrome.  The City of Hamilton couldnt get a deal finalized after being part of the process for a couple of years and didnt get the job done.

MPP Ted McMeekin said recently that Hamilton is “too late to recoup the velodrome.”

Recently Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina made comments that a silent funder had come forward to see if they can get one last chance to get the velodrome back to Hamilton, but that was once again shot down by Mr. McMeekin this week.

The Town of Milton has been chosen as the location of the velodrome pending approval by Milton Town Council.  There is one more report to review and that is slated to be before us by January 23rd at an upcoming meeting.  We have until the 24th to sign a binding agreeement with the Pan Am committee and we are awaiting the receipt of that report.

Here is the artcile from the Milton Canadian Champion/Hamilton Spectator by Matthew Van Dongen

Hamilton too late to recoup velodrome: McMeekin

Hamilton can’t buy its way back into the Pan Am velodrome race with mystery millions, says Liberal cabinet minister Ted McMeekin.

Sources told The Spectator last week a private corporation is willing to make a multimillion-dollar commitment to a permanent indoor cycling oval in Hamilton — even though Pan Am officials recently announced Milton as the facility host.

Milton has until Jan. 24 to sign a binding agreement to help fund the facility, which could cost up to $45 million.

“I guess if it doesn’t work out in Milton, everything is back on the table,” said McMeekin, the Minister of Agriculture and MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale. “But the Pan Am people have been pretty clear Milton has been selected as the (velodrome) site. Clearly, the Pan Am people have moved on.”

Unless Milton backs out, McMeekin said he didn’t know how new mystery funding could help Hamilton’s cause “after the horses have left the barn.”

Hamilton was originally the preferred site for the cycling venue, but lost that status after Pan Am officials rejected the city’s $5 million offer towards building costs. A local fundraising group has continued collecting pledges and lobbying government to build in Hamilton and, in a recent year-end radio interview, Mayor Bob Bratina cited a deep-pocketed “prospective partner” for a local velodrome.

The mayor of Milton figures that effort is too little and too late.

“Where was that interest a few weeks ago? Seems pretty late in the game,” Gordon Krantz said of Hamilton’s behind-the-scenes manoeuvring.

Krantz acknowledged that Milton’s offer could still fall through. His council is set to consider a business plan for the velodrome on Jan. 23 — the day before the Pan Am deadline for finalizing an agreement. The town of close to 90,000 is also waiting for the provincial go-ahead for a satellite university campus that Milton politicians want to pair with the velodrome.

But even if Milton retracts its bid, there’s no guarantee Hamilton will get another crack at the cycling oval. Krantz said Pan Am officials have told him they would consider building a temporary velodrome on Toronto’s port lands if Milton doesn’t commit to a permanent facility.

“I don’t think anyone is enthusiastic about that idea,” he said. “I’m hoping we can make (a permanent indoor facility) happen.”

Milton has its own private benefactor, Mattamy Homes president Peter Gilgan, who has offered $9 million in donations and cash for naming rights.

But the town would have to find at least that much money again to cover the 44 per cent municipal portion of velodrome building costs, estimated by Infrastructure Ontario at between $35 million and $45 million.

Target Distribution Centre Underway

Mike Cluett

I am very encouraged to see the progress in the development of the Target Distribution Centre.  This project will continue to bring in more jobs to our area and hopefully spearhead the increase in business development in Milton.  This article is from the Milton Canadian Champion.

Laying the groundwork

Construction is now well underway at the new Target distribution centre site on Boston Church Road, just north of Hwy. 401.

The 79-acre site will house a 1.3-million-square-foot facility — which will be the biggest building in town.

The distribution centre is expected to be in operation prior to the opening of Target’s first Canadian stores in 2013.

Milton STILL has the ball

Mike Cluett


http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/645715–silent-funder-might-inflate-velodrome-hopes

Silent funder might inflate velodrome hopes

“All I can say is it would be a sizeable help if it comes through,” said Gord Singleton, a former cycling world champion who joined the local velodrome fundraising campaign in the fall.

Singleton said he’s been told not to discuss the source or amount of the mystery money, but Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina said in a radio interview Friday an “interested prospective partner” has surfaced and “several million dollars is being talked about.”

“We’re not out of the game yet in regards to the velodrome,” he said in the interview.

That was news to Milton Councillor Mike Cluett.

Pan Am officials appeared to rule out Hamilton as a velodrome site earlier this month when they announced Milton as the preferred host pending the signing of a funding agreement by Jan. 24.

“Milton will have to decline (the velodrome) before Hamilton would ever be considered,” said Cluett via email. “Mayor Bratina now realizes that with all (council’s) dithering around they lost the opportunity … Hamilton had many opportunities but didn’t get the job done.”

The Spectator couldn’t reach a Pan Am official Tuesday to comment on whether a beefed-up Hamilton bid would be considered.

Hamilton started out as the preferred velodrome location but lost that status in October after Pan Am officials rejected the city’s $5-million offer towards a facility that could cost $45 million.

Milton plans to commit even less taxpayer cash to the facility, but has announced close to $9 million in private pledges from firms and foundations headed by Mattamy Homes president Peter Gilgan.

Singleton said he thought the secret funding boost under discussion locally could “swing the momentum back” to Hamilton, noting the Milton bid and funding sources aren’t finalized.

News of the funding boost had yet to widely circulate at City Hall Tuesday. Several councillors said they were unaware the extra funding had been secured, while others said they weren’t pleased to learn of the project’s resurrection.

“I believe this unaffordable velodrome is an unfortunate expense and cost to the residents of Hamilton,” said Councillor Sam Merulla. “Milton is geographically close enough for Hamilton residents to access without having to spend $5 million.”

The Spectator couldn’t reach Bratina Tuesday for additional information about the mystery funding. His chief of staff, Peggy Chapman, said the mayor wouldn’t be available for an interview until January.

Mark Chamberlain, the chair of the fundraising cabinet, didn’t respond to requests for an interview Tuesday. Vocal campaign cabinet member Andrew Iler wouldn’t confirm or deny the donation report, but said the group hasn’t given up on winning the velodrome and continues to chase donations big and small.

The fundraising cabinet, which includes several high-profile cyclists such as Singleton, Curt Harnett and Clara Hughes, announced earlier this month it had raised more than $1 million through smaller donations.

mvandongen@thespec.com