Re: Proposed events centre won’t look pretty on waterfront, Letters, Feb. 2
I get a good chuckle reading letters from naysayers of the proposed multiplex. Visitors to Nanaimo would not see a big-box building andparking lot.
The design for the multiplex is beautiful. It would be more likely to inspire awe rather than disdain. Nor do I know of any events centre that only has two or three hockey games and concerts a year as its only uses. Arguments against the multiplex are becoming ridiculous and trite.
Nanaimo’s waterfront has always been a working environment, from ancient times to the present. Our harbour has a lovely mix ofindustry, marine and recreation already in place. The last thing we need is another park. The multiplex will generate income; a park, not so much. As a frequent traveller to other cities to see large-scale events, I feel confident that Nanaimo will attract visitors from far and wide to take in performances in our city.
Comparing the multiplex to the conference centre is like comparing apples to oranges. The conference centre is not intended for use bythe average citizen. It is rarely used for events that draw in large crowds of excited people ready to spend their money having a greattime.
The Port Theatre can be viewed as a microcosm for the multiplex. When I attend shows there, I see people everywhere: in restaurants,pubs, shops, the mall, or just strolling the downtown streets. Imagine that on a large scale.
We have a unique opportunity to enhance our city, both economically and recreationally. From large-scale ballets, home and tradeshows, mixed-martial arts and wrestling events, Ice Capades, and children’s entertainers, to auto and marine shows, rodeos, theatreproductions, and indoor markets – the possibilities for success are endless.
I, for one, would like to see my tax dollars go toward something I can actually use and enjoy.
Lorrie HaydenNanaimo
Re: Waterfront site picked for new events centre, Jan. 26
Is that proposed events centre part of the existing city plan for the 1 Port Dr. location? Or are our new city administrators not awarethat there is an excellent city plan already existing? The plan contains a mixture of public places, shopping and residential units; a planthat is wonderfully suitable for public interchanges not only when a rare event is scheduled.
And what about the proposed costs? Are taxes going up, prior to us having paid off the conference center?
Before we are invited to a referendum, perhaps it might be a good idea for our city administrators to have a better look at the existingcity plans for that location. That plan does not involve any taxpayers’ money.
Rosina SchmidtNanaimo
Re: Waterfront site picked for new events centre, Jan. 26
Nanaimo has a long way to go if it thinks that plunking a waterfront arena downtown is the answer to city woes.
Relying on the success of a WHL hockey team is flawed. That 5,000 fans at 40 home games will flood the downtown business with out-of-town money and that businesses and hotels will just ‘pop up’ in the neighborhood as a result is dreamy. WHL fan support is local andhistoric – especially in smaller towns – and most ardent fans return home after the games. To think that 1,000 fans will brave the rain todash between periods for a beverage like the hey-days of the Civic Arena/Newcastle Pub-era is remote.
Council needs to work to better the downtown we already have. Thinking boldly, maybe we should market ‘new’ rather than ‘historic’and redesign the Terminal trench to residential, with new buildings and residences on the west side, stepping up the cliff to the WallaceStreet level. Trendy and brightly lit, it would completely change the downtown.
What Nanaimo needs is more people living downtown, rather than sporadic bursts of out-of-towners who will hurry home after anevent. When the downtown rebounds, the event center can be the culmination of hard work and vision, a reward, say, for the bold lookforward by a careful council. We’re approaching the development of the last piece of the waterfront backwards – the location is too farfrom the downtown and is too expensive for the citizens of Nanaimo to hope that it transforms the downtown.
Michael GeorgeNanaimo
