BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following opinion and questions were submitted to the online Ward 8 Town Hall for Wednesday, Feb. 23 in connection to the city's pursuit of a new performing arts centre.
*************************
City council has chosen to move forward with a 900-seat performing arts centre (PAC). Over 100 years ago, Barrie had a 1,200-seat opera house. Several years ago, a committee/study recommended building a 1,200-seat PAC. The late Bruce Owen vigorously promoted a 1,200-seat PAC.
The population will double in the next 20 years in the Barrie region. Why sell people short and only build a 900-seat PAC? The Fisher site likely cannot accommodate a 1,200-seat facility, so why not choose one that will?
HIP Developments has not firmed up its site plans yet in the vicinity of the Fisher property. Now is a good time to negotiate with HIP and acquire neighbouring real estate to expand the building site footprint and allow the construction of a more impressive and future-oriented PAC.
Let's dream bigger and have an imagineering workshop to design and build a 1,200-seat PAC that will better fulfill the needs of future generations and create a legacy to be proud of.
Why are we limiting the capacity? The task force reported that the managers of the three PACs that were visited all regretted that they did not build more seats. Why is Barrie choosing to take a course that others have warned about? Now is the time to take a bolder step before we hire a consulting firm to design a facility that has a limited vision. Let's dream big before it is too late.
Mayor Jeff Lehman and Coun. Jim Harris, will you commit to approach HIP Developments and discuss the possibility of expanding the property by 30 to 40 per cent?
Failing that, would you consider an alternate site that would still benefit the downtown and act as an anchor to draw additional development southward on Bradford Street?
Paul J. Ecker
Barrie
*************************
