Your view is skewed. Your biggest argument for not going ahead with the arena is that EVERYONE will want the roads fixed. This isn't true. NOT EVERYONE in Edmonton drives, NOT EVERYONE drives on the chitty roads, and NOT ALL roads in Edmonton suck. Yes, it's true that many of them need a little TLC, but do go to a northern Alberta town or city that doens't need some degree of road work. We are not blessed with a long road construction season - this is why when you make a trip of any length around the province during the summer you are likely to run into road construction at least once.
Your next argument is that you rarely attend Rexall Place. Is this because you don't like hockey? Because you don't like concerts? Because you like to stay home? Because you don't like to be elbow to elbow with 18 thousand other fans? Because you don't like crowds in the concourse? Because you can't afford it? There are many reasons that one won't use the exisiting facitlity. But for the nearly 18 thousand people who pack those stands for EVERY game, win or lose. Or every concert, good or bad. Or every other event held there, whatever it may be. We deem it to be worth our time, money and effort to get there.
I read an article yesterday which showed the attendance by fans over the last almost 20 years. In the last 5 years, an average of 690,257.8 fans attended Oiler's games each season. (New Edmonton Arena) I haven't managed to find a statistic for how many people attend Rexall Place for other events such as concerts, other sporting events and miscellaneous events. That is nearly 700 thousand people per year- garaunteed, to show up at whatever venue is built for their team. Do you know how much money 700 people spend on nights out? How can this not benefit the downtown? Everytime we go to a game, my husband and I drive 5 hours, go for dinner, have a few drinks, go to the game, pay for parking, usually have more drinks at the game, and snack food, not to mention 50/50 tickets etc. If by some grace of God we both got off work early, we would go shopping in the City Center mall. And I know for a fact that we are not the only ones who travel to go to games. If the new arena were to go ahead, it would have everything we needed all in one area. Instead of having to go down to St Albert Trail to eat dinner at the Keg, we could get away with dinner somewhere around the complex. Instead of paying for parking, we could park at an LRT terminal and walk around at the arena. Instead of playing the parking cluster f@#* game at the end of every event, we would just get on the LRT and have a much easier time getting out of the city.
Think of what that would do for the whole area? It would increase LRT ridership, as there is very little parking downtown - but reduce the awful traffic nightmares on Gretzky and 118. It would bring in more money to the downtown businesses, who are getting a market they may have never seen otherwise. It would benefit the restaurants in the area, as not everyone is going to want to eat at the restaurants in the complex. It would benefit the people who would be employed to build the complex, it would benefit the people employed to work at the complex, in the hotel, restaurants and casino.
Everyone is whining now about LENDING tax dollars to get this project off and running. What about in the 70's when Rexall was originally built?? Who funded that project?
OR what about this little stat
(Door not quite shut on provincial aid)
Now from my fan perspective.
I LOVE going to hockey games, I LOVE going to concerts, I LOVE going to other events.
What I would like to see is a new arena for the events held. Nicer seats, more Gold and Silver seats. More room in the concourse. More stuff to see in the concourse during intermissions. More variety in food offered. More bars like the club downstairs. (Maybe even a clean food violation record ...())
I won't be able to make any games this year, unfortunately. I was hoping to be able to squeeze in the home opener before baby comes, but as I was saying about lack of room on the concourse, I would be afraid to catch a stray elbow, have people constantly bumping into me and josling baby around. If there was more room in the concourse area, this would not be a problem!
Now for my Devil's Advocate opinion...
How can you guys call yourselves the City of Champions, yes, they've had a few basement years, but if the city wants to continue with that tag line, I think they should SUPPORT THEIR TEAMS! But hey, that's just me. The Oiler's have a legacy, and not one that should be shuffled under the carpet, and left to decay just because half of city council is on the board for the Northlands. The building is insufficient and has been for years - hence the substantial renovations over the past few years.
Your view is skewed. Your biggest argument for not going ahead with the arena is that EVERYONE will want the roads fixed. This isn't true. NOT EVERYONE in Edmonton drives, NOT EVERYONE drives on the chitty roads, and NOT ALL roads in Edmonton suck. Yes, it's true that many of them need a little TLC, but do go to a northern Alberta town or city that doens't need some degree of road work. We are not blessed with a long road construction season - this is why when you make a trip of any length around the province during the summer you are likely to run into road construction at least once.
Your next argument is that you rarely attend Rexall Place. Is this because you don't like hockey? Because you don't like concerts? Because you like to stay home? Because you don't like to be elbow to elbow with 18 thousand other fans? Because you don't like crowds in the concourse? Because you can't afford it? There are many reasons that one won't use the exisiting facitlity. But for the nearly 18 thousand people who pack those stands for EVERY game, win or lose. Or every concert, good or bad. Or every other event held there, whatever it may be. We deem it to be worth our time, money and effort to get there.
I read an article yesterday which showed the attendance by fans over the last almost 20 years. In the last 5 years, an average of 690,257.8 fans attended Oiler's games each season. (New Edmonton Arena) I haven't managed to find a statistic for how many people attend Rexall Place for other events such as concerts, other sporting events and miscellaneous events. That is nearly 700 thousand people per year- garaunteed, to show up at whatever venue is built for their team. Do you know how much money 700 people spend on nights out? How can this not benefit the downtown? Everytime we go to a game, my husband and I drive 5 hours, go for dinner, have a few drinks, go to the game, pay for parking, usually have more drinks at the game, and snack food, not to mention 50/50 tickets etc. If by some grace of God we both got off work early, we would go shopping in the City Center mall. And I know for a fact that we are not the only ones who travel to go to games. If the new arena were to go ahead, it would have everything we needed all in one area. Instead of having to go down to St Albert Trail to eat dinner at the Keg, we could get away with dinner somewhere around the complex. Instead of paying for parking, we could park at an LRT terminal and walk around at the arena. Instead of playing the parking cluster f@#* game at the end of every event, we would just get on the LRT and have a much easier time getting out of the city.
Think of what that would do for the whole area? It would increase LRT ridership, as there is very little parking downtown - but reduce the awful traffic nightmares on Gretzky and 118. It would bring in more money to the downtown businesses, who are getting a market they may have never seen otherwise. It would benefit the restaurants in the area, as not everyone is going to want to eat at the restaurants in the complex. It would benefit the people who would be employed to build the complex, it would benefit the people employed to work at the complex, in the hotel, restaurants and casino.
Everyone is whining now about LENDING tax dollars to get this project off and running. What about in the 70's when Rexall was originally built?? Who funded that project?
OR what about this little stat
(Door not quite shut on provincial aid)
Now from my fan perspective.
I LOVE going to hockey games, I LOVE going to concerts, I LOVE going to other events.
What I would like to see is a new arena for the events held. Nicer seats, more Gold and Silver seats. More room in the concourse. More stuff to see in the concourse during intermissions. More variety in food offered. More bars like the club downstairs. (Maybe even a clean food violation record ...
I won't be able to make any games this year, unfortunately. I was hoping to be able to squeeze in the home opener before baby comes, but as I was saying about lack of room on the concourse, I would be afraid to catch a stray elbow, have people constantly bumping into me and josling baby around. If there was more room in the concourse area, this would not be a problem!
Now for my Devil's Advocate opinion...
How can you guys call yourselves the City of Champions, yes, they've had a few basement years, but if the city wants to continue with that tag line, I think they should SUPPORT THEIR TEAMS! But hey, that's just me. The Oiler's have a legacy, and not one that should be shuffled under the carpet, and left to decay just because half of city council is on the board for the Northlands. The building is insufficient and has been for years - hence the substantial renovations over the past few years.
