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Here is a copy of a letter Sharron Bonnici sent to the Whig February 8th 2005.
LVEC
I am very concerned about recent developments with Mayor Rosens plan to build the LVEC at the Anglin Bay site.
Firstly, the Mayors Task Force study revealed that the City required seating of 6,500. Anyone who complained about the study was told by Leonore Foster that well educated professionals completed the study, and that it was accurate. Everyone else in the City was ill informed on the subject.
Subsequent to that, we are told that Rosen now plans to build a building with a seating capacity of 5,000.
What happened to the additional 1,500 seats, that the City required?
Now we hear that the structure will have 5,000 seats, but room to expand to 6,000.
I asked Donald Gedge if the parking and traffic studies are based on the higher amount, which would make sense if you planned to build something to expand at a later date, especially when the Task Force came up with a higher figure in the first place. I received his response indicating it is being done based on the lower amount, or 5000 seats. If it was to be expanded at a later date, Mr. Gedge stated new studies would have to be done.
Red flags should be flying everywhere as its obvious that Mayor Rosen is doing everything he can to put something on the Anglin Bay site, without any regard for the long term.
If we only need 2,000 seats more than the Memorial Centre presently has, then it would be far cheaper to just raise that roof, and renovate it. There is presently substantial space between the hockey boards, and the first row of seats, and I estimate you could add 1,000 seats in that space alone. All other rinks I've visited have seating like this. Estimates to expand the Memorial Centre are around $11 million, or a quarter of what Mayor Rosen wants to spend.
The Memorial Centre was built to be expanded, so lets do it.
Sharron Bonnici
February 8th 2005