Sir: This letter is to express my frustration upon hearing that a twin pad arena, that frankly is not needed, has morphed into a mega arena plan.
Instead of inviting citizens to attend a council meeting to voice their opinion, which is not practical for all to do, why not hold an all-inclusive vote where all citizens of Chatham-Kent can decide whether or not a sports-only complex gets built?
That means everyone, from all towns and rural communities – in other words, the entire municipality.
I’ve seen and heard the ads meant to attract new settlers in the form of retirees, new families and members of the professional community to the Chatham-Kent area. These ads present our community as a diverse one to attract people with a variety of interests, if it seems those interests are only auto or sports related.
I would like to suggest building a complex that consists of an indoor year-round building, a summer open-air pavilion, a small park, and, yes, even a more appropriately sized arena. I believe the space available could fit these venues.
This complex could be open seven days a week and could house a variety of venues such as a place to sell home preserves, baked goods, local seasonal produce, or a place where a person could bring something to be repaired, from cell phones to vacuums, or other small items or small appliances. Or if they want a certain piece of furniture made to order, a woodworker might be found here, or maybe have a local seamstress or tailor make a specific item of clothing, possibly have a 3D printer booth to create a one of a kind item made to order. The possibilities are endless and too numerous to mention.
We hear about our community becoming smaller, of grads moving away. Why not encourage people who have certain skills and talents to stay by allowing them to experience a business opportunity that doesn’t require the yoke of a business loan from a bank (which can be what breaks the back of a young entrepreneur) or a high-cost lease of a store front which will hobble them if immediate profits aren’t seen, and is almost always the reason why small new businesses don’t succeed.
Perhaps a minimal license or fee would suffice to get them started, and at the same time generate dollars to aid in the upkeep of the complex, and provide the chance of this being the stepping stone these people need to begin a business that could grow into a life-long career, and turn Chatham-Kent into a more diverse community.
The idea that supporters of a twin-pad or mega arena have of “building it and they will come” is rather silly considering that in most cases, the large amounts of generated revenue promised from such a route never comes to fruition.
Instead of giving a smaller group in the community an oversized place to watch or play hockey, why not give everyone a chance to use it? Better still, grow from it.
The argument that such a vote would cost money is not practical; it would be a lot cheaper than building a huge arena that most might not want or need.
I think if you look around, you will find that there are a lot of talented and skilled people that just need somewhere central and affordable to offer their skills. The added bonus of providing a larger amount and greater variety of jobs should be enough of a lure to consider something like this for our community.
Bonnie Burton
Chatham
