“A Concert Hall is Really Part of the Infrastructure of a Community,”
Those were the words of Athos Zaghi, of Theatre Consultants Collaborative, one of the consultants tasked with authoring the feasability report commissioned by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra.
Is anyone wondering exactly why the city would omit the conversion of the Windsor Armouries into a new home for the WSO from their list of infrastructure projects to the federal government?
Webb Management comments, “The existing geometry and materials offer what could be described as a golden opportunity for great acoustics…the Windsor Armouries building is well suited for the proposed purpose”.
According to the recently completed Needs Assessment for the Windsor Armouries, a new cultural facility would contribute to community development, supporting local arts organizations and providing a gathering place for businesses, individuals and other special events. Additional visitors to downtown would support existing businesses and encourage new ones.
I have heard it said that a resurrected Windsor Symphony Concert Hall would do more to revitalize our downtown and inject visitors to the core than any other project being considered. And what a deal as well! The cost of renovation is estimated to be $28.3M. To put this in context, the proposed new concert hall in St. Catharines, ON is budgeted at $101M. Under the infrastructure stimulus plan, Windsor’s out-of-pocket expenses for this would be $9.4M.
Not surprisiingly the report also concludes that “communities in the Windsor-Essex region undervalue the economic impact of developing and operating the Windsor Armouries as a cultural facility. The project is not perceived as a regional and downtown revitalization tool. This mentality is a barrier to the project, as cultural facilities are not yet believed to be beneficial to the community”, so it shouldn’t come to surprise you that there isn’t political will to get this project under way.
So, I ask why aren’t we considering this project, or even the RDVIP for that matter? These projects have got to be more “shovel-ready” than the canal, as all the studies and reports have already decided their worthiness and readiness.
Is it true that politics is getting in the way of community revival?
Tags: WSO
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Because the Free Ride is over.
Arts suck.
(sarcasm off)
Honestly, to me the fact that the city isn’t front and centre championing this initiative hand in hand with the WSO, shows that:
1. They still don’t understand the arts, and their importance
2. They still don’t grasp the value of reusing heritage structures
3. Ouellette Avenue is a write off (why else would you attempt to build a new retail downtown along a canal?)
No different than the Canal, the project needs to be subjected to appropriate public scrutiny and input before being considered for infrastructure or any other tax dollars. Everyone’s rush to get on the bandwagon has give us the Canderel building and the Cleary in the past, both money losers and a significant drain on tax money.
Agreed. Public vetting should be first and foremost for any project vying for public dollars. However, the fact that the city is choosing certain projects over others really shows their priorities.
Maybe if Fahri owned land adjacent to the Armouries…
I support both projects but see the need for one that increases residential first.
Build in a natural audience for a symphony hall and you give it a better chance of being successful. Those who reside in the canal will be more likely to attend the symphony
I garee with Andrew in every way except the right off of Ouellette Ave. I understand it to be the entertainment centre of Windsor with areas of Chatham, University Ave adding to it.
Hopefully the Concert Hall becomes a reality as it would add yet another dimension and reason, along with the canal to move downtown. At the very least it would be a destination for people to visit.
Considering the low cost of both to Windsor taxpayers (especially considering the over $5 million spent on lawyers and consultants for Greenlink, the $29 million+ for expropriation of the Canderel Building) I would say both projects are a bargain. Especially because we would recoup those monies spent via tax dollars relatively quickly. The added boon would be the jobs it would create in the city with the highest unemployment rate in Canada. If just for that, it would be worth it.
4 words
attached University Music school
That will justify it
Agreed Mark. I’d love to see some U of W investment downtown. Music school would be nice. University of Alberta opened a Faculty of Extension (mostly adult education for business/government folks) in a historic downtown Edmonton building to considerable transformative effect.
The city’s reluctance to propose the Armouries Project is perplexing. Anybody know any federal bureaucrats we could forward the Needs Assessment to?
I keep reading blogs, letters to the editor, and other articles about the armouries, casino, canals, developing the core area…
Most of the time what I read is trash, the rest of the time it is about only what it does for “ME” or how much “I” will have to pay…
,t even buy
People these projects except as opportunities to bring businesses, therefore jobs back to the downtown core, are not meant to actually be for you.
ST. CLAIRE will work if there was any where these students could spend their money (little as it is) there is no where downtown to spend their money. except bars and coffee shops.
The casino does bring many tourists to Windsor but makes sure that money is going to stay in the casino. With the exception of the Hotels it has generated “ZERO” in dollars spent downtown, with few exceptions there is no where else for a tourist to go, and spend their money in the downtown. Actually it is probably sucking more out of the local economy than it returns
The armoury plan would work if at the same time it is being converted to a Symphony Hall, businesses also open up to cater to people that come to hear or watch performances there. a tax break or a subsidy from the city would help.
I have been downtown, watching families wondering around after some event, down in front of the casino with no where to go with a couple of young kids.
Same with the idea of a canal if the businesses aren’t there it does nothing for this city, except create a ditch. Further more if you think a big buck yahoo is going to park his over priced boat and take a leisurely walk along the river to go to the casino you are mistaken, the first thing the casino would do is put in a shuttle service.
I have been rambling with this comment, my point we need businesses downtown before or at least during any development. This should have been done before the Casino was built, and before the the city tore down riverside drive to put up Cantral. I do not blame any tax payer in the city who keeps bitching why his tax dollars are forever funding pipedreams..Oh before I firget that monery the Ontario, and fedral govts. wave over your heads like acarrot is also yours….