RESTORE COOTES

Dundas councillor Russ Powers,  originally a member of the board for the National Cycling Centre Hamilton , is back in the middle of the Velodrome discussion , now as one of the city's reps on the Hamilton Velodrome Advisory Committee  - the other representatives from council are Whitehead, McHattie, and Pasuta. (the terms of reference require three councillors, but there appear to be four on the HVAC). The purpose of the HVAC is " to provide advice, input and support for the development of a permanent velodrome in Hamilton as part of the 2015 Pan Am initiative and legacy. The aims of the Hamilton Velodrome Advisory Committee are:  • To review and provide input on the site location for the velodrome;  • Review and provide expertise on the design of the velodrome. • To review and assist with the development of a funding plan for the future velodrome facility in Hamilton;  • To review and provide input in the implementation of the business plan with res...

The Hamilton Cycling Committee, a council appointed committee, has this to say about the "Preferred Location for Velodrome" (from July committee minutes ) - (which supports what Restore Cootes believes to be best for Cootes, and the city - no velodrome in Dundas in a Environmentally Sensitive Area, and no new taxes to pay for this) - Support West Harbour location as well as other downtown locations - Within urban envelope and in vicinity of downtown in order to ensure accessibility to all Hamiltonians - Limits for consideration would be McMaster (westerly), Ivor Wynne stadium area easterly, water to the north, escarpment to the south (keep it in the lower city) - The above limits have the best transit service in the whole of the city - which is important.  - Accessibility to highways is important and the downtown is accessible from the highway (there are many ways to get downtown – there is a misconception that the downtown is not as easily accessed as locations off...

Since Restore Cootes interviewed Dundas councillor Russ Powers, the Velodrome has once again come back from the dead in Dundas. What is going on behind the scenes? What follows is the relevant excerpt from the October 5 2010 Economic Development and Planning (E.D.P.) minutes: 8.2       Addition of Lands to the Niagara Escarpment Plan - Cootes Paradise Link (PW 176)(PED10228) Ferguson : [1:36:39] Okay, item 8.2 which is addition of lands to the Niagara Escarpment Cootes Paradise lands. Joanne, do you want to give us an overview of this. Hickey - Evans : The elevator speech? Ferguson : Yeah, the elevator speech, thank you. Hickey - Evans : Just very quickly, the Niagara Escarpment has received an order in council to add additional lands to their portfolio, as it were, their plan area, and it’s a two step process. And now as the second part of the process they’ve identified the appropriate designations for this land, and this land is simply a very ...

Russ Powers has confirmed that he does not support a Velodrome at the Dundas site suggested by the National Cycling Centre Hamilton (NCCH). In a brief phone interview today, Powers said unless directed otherwise by the new council (after October's municipal elections) he was against the Velodrome being built on the soccer field across from the Olympic Arena. He listed several concerns about that site, which included the proximity to an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA), that it would have to built on the site of a former landfill, and the loss of a recreational soccer pitch. Powers, who was originally the city representative on the NCCH board of directors in the "early stages" of that organization, is no longer a director (though he was still listed as such on their web site as of today.) He said the Sierra Group did the site selection criteria for the Pan Am velodrome siting, and did not list potential locations. Sierra was hired by the city of Hamilton. So...

A constituent of ward 13, AKA Dundas, has shared info with me regarding councillor Russ Powers' position on Olympic Park as a site for the velodrome - it appears that Powers' does not think this is a good place for the Velodrome. This is a relief for those of us who are concerned with this area abutting Cootes Paradise; naturalizing and capitalizing on the beauty of the area would be a benefit to Dundas and the ecology of the marsh and surrounding lands. The east end of Dundas has been a dumping ground for years. It's time we reclaim it and bring it back to health . Steps are being made in that direction by the Hamilton Conservation Authority and the Royal Botanical Gardens. We need to make our support for this direction heard.

It seems the siting of the Velodrome in the east of Dundas, like a slasher film villain, keeps coming back to life. When the discussion is of building something new, the players never mention any concerns about environment, or alternative visions for the site. This is true of the Velodrome as much as the much debated Pan Am/Tiger-Cats stadium where there is a risk of displacing high-tech research employment lands. Councillor Russ Powers seems to be siding with the Velodrome /Dundas players. So while they are looking for a plan that would separate the Velodrome from the Stadium (the two have been linked from the start of planning up to now) they also are looking "to find ways to double the $11.4 million budgeted to build a facility substantial enough to host programs that keep the velodrome sustainable in the long term" Of course I am interested in ensuring they don't dip into our tax money to pay for a high end facility for a very select few athletes. "Th...

A reader of this blog sent the following background to me to share here. There appears to be a very interesting back-story to the ongoing Velodrome siting issue.  - - - - Regarding your recent web posting “ millions more to encroach on Cootes? ”, two main points need clarifying.  First, you say, “they are still talking about siting it in Dundas”.  Actually there is only one person/group calling for this.  This is Andrew Iler of the National Cycling Centre Hamilton. Iler is a politically connected lawyer from Hamilton who is directing a cycling organization created by the corporate right wing lobby.  This NCCH is not democratic and is not connected to the cycling community.  As well, it has no connection to the city of Hamilton.  John Kernaghan and the Hamilton Spectator (Torstar Corporation) have done everything they can to try and legitimize Iler and the so-called National Cycling Centre. The city of Hamilton and the cycling communi...

Is anyone really surprised? Cost estimates for the proposed velodrome for Hamilton's Pan Am games have doubled in price, an extra $15 million . They will be spending up to $25 million dollars for this cycling track, and they are still talking about siting it in Dundas , despite the fact the bid originally stated in would be built along with the Pan Am Stadium (and that's another story!). Problem is, the site in Dundas is in an area that is close to Cootes Paradise, on a former landfill and in the middle of an area that many hope will be developed as a natural park that will enhance the ecological integrity of this environmentally significant area. As we are seeing in the wranglings over the Pan Am Stadium, the warning of urban philosopher Jane Jacobs against these kind of projects involving "cataclysmic money" stands today. We should not hastily make decisions that will have a lasting impact on the quality of our natural assets, especially if we are interested in r...

Two weeks ago, Restore Cootes was asking "How well thought out is this plan?" to put a Velodrome on Olympic Park. The question was mostly rhetorical, and our concern is borne out in this latest news from the Dundas Star. Zoning and soil do not support velodrome at Olympic Park, say city, RBG officials Craig Campbell, Dundas Star News Staff Published on Jun 03, 2010 Olympic Sports Park is on top of a former landfill and not capable of supporting a building, according to one conservation expert. City of Hamilton planning staff would not elaborate on the comment made by Tys Theysmeyer, head of conservation and natural lands for the Royal Botanical Gardens, which owns property not far from the Olympic Drive natural area. But according to the city’s planning department, the property’s zoning only permits outdoor recreation. The National Cycling Centre of Hamilton says a feasibility study it completed on building a cycling velodrome in the city concluded the Dundas park...

Is Dundas more of a "cycling town" than Hamilton? Not sure I'd buy that, but regardless of the designation, the idea that NCC's Andrew Iler puts forth that "the Dundas location does not create barriers to use that exist at the planned west Harbour site" is very arguable. His reason against the west harbour site: “An urban core deadlocked by big urban streets is not ideal,” he said. We see, I suspect, a suburban bias in this decision from the NCC. How else does an urban core become a liability? It means being closer to more potential users of the facility, based on urban density, with decent public transit available. Other benefits of an urban location would be spinoff improvements to the "big urban streets" that could then sport bike lanes and wider sidewalks and the development of other urban commercial, retail and other amenities. Same can't be said for the Dundas site which is isolated and accessible primarily, if not exclusively, by car...

"The NCCH believes the Dundas site would best serve three of the four cycling disciplines as it is close to road cycling routes and mountain biking trails." What trails are they referring to? RBG trails? Bruce Trail? Neither of which are open for cycling, being footpaths in naturally sensitive areas? Or do they consider Dundas Valley trails close? How well thought out is this plan? Cycling centre rejects harbour TheSpec.com - Local - Cycling centre rejects harbour John Kernaghan , The Hamilton Spectator , (May 13, 2010) Hamilton's cycling centre has joined the Tiger-Cats in rejecting the west harbour. But unlike the Ticats, the centre has firmly identified another Pan Am Games location. Andrew Iler, president of the National Cycling Centre Hamilton (NCCH), said almost four years of study have ...

Early rationale (Nov. 1/08) for siting the velodrome in Hamilton: "He said that local expertise and the efficiency of shared facilities at a stadium/velodrome were the underlying logic to the twinning. He pointed to office space, athletes services and sportsmedicine expertise that could be shared if cycling, track and field, soccer and football were located together." Pan Am velodrome? TheSpec.com - Sports - Pan Am velodrome? Local bid organizers pitch cycling centre for 2015 games John Kernaghan The Hamilton Spectator (Nov 1, 2008) Hamilton's 2015 Pan Am Games wish list is growing longer with a cycling velodrome that would be twinned with a stadium. A 3,0...

The East end of Dundas has had a beautiful and sustainable vision presented as a possible future, but people keep lobbing new and incompatible projects into the area. Will we really want more parking lots in the area of the historical Desjardin's Canal, and Cootes Paradise/West Pond and Royal Botanical Gardens land for this Velodrome ? "Who's going to argue with that"? I guess me, for one... Dundas velodrome has support 2 councillors like idea TheSpec.com - Local - Dundas velodrome has support 2 councillors like idea John Kernaghan , The Hamilton Spectator , (May 15, 2010) A proposal to move the Pan Am velodrome to Dundas has provisional backing by two city councillors. Terry Whitehead and Russ Powers say the idea of shifting the $11.4-million indoor cycling track could help resolve the dispute with the Ticats over the city's west harbour site. ...