Worcester Spy – Lake Avenue Sports Complex
by Erin - October 8, 2008 12:05pm
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the proposed ‘sports complex’ on Lake Ave, which according to the T&G, almost received a “push for construction of the project to begin next spring.” Um, next spring? How did that come to fruition so fast?
A proposed order in front of the city council on 10/1 seeking to move the project forward by arranging talks between the city and the Worcester Sharks was delayed to allow time for community discussion. No further discussion was held at the 10/7 council meeting.
This project is an incredible opportunity for Worcester residents to make themselves heard with regard to a large development project in the city. It’s public land. We own it. It’s not a question of a developer on private land requiring permits and permissions, but a development that may or may not be good for the city being built on public land.
What do you think about the sports complex? What would you like to know?
Some of the questions on my mind:
Why would the skating rinks/batting cages/sportsplex need to be built on public park land? There are several sizeable parcels of land in the city ready for redevelopment. Why Lake Park?
Would the city and state continue to own the land, and the stakeholders – Sharks, Tornadoes, St. Vincent’s, etc. – own just the new buildings? Or would they buy the land – and for how much?
The idea of an ‘aquatics complex’ to replace closed pools has been discussed – would this be separate, or could it be included?
The ice skating rink behind city hall should be done soon. Would a new skating arena draw recreational skaters away from the city hall rink?
On some level, there seem to be indicators that people are not as fond of ‘megaplexes’ as they once were for generating business or attracting visitors. We’ve asked a developer to reformat the mall to be less like a fortress in the middle of downtown, and decry schools and hospitals for keeping their people on their campuses rather than encouraging them to be part of the city. Is a ‘sports complex’ the way to go? Isn’t there a chance that out-of-town people will come to the complex, do what they came to do, and return home?
I agree.
A lot of the post-election coverage this year talked about how low voter turnout was for the city council elections, even though there were more candidates and more campaigning than any time in recent memory. I wonder if the City Council gets the impression that no one is watching. Everyone is too busy watching Survivor, I suppose.
What is the reasoning behind this decision? Has anyone asked for a Sports Complex? Is this a deal with the Sharks to get them to stay in town? I want to know.
Thanks for bringing this up. We need to pay attention to what our elected officials are doing with our resources.
-Sanchez