The City of Ottawa should not negotiate a lease for Frank Clair Stadium with a group of local businessmen looking to bring the CFL back to Ottawa until the Design Lansdowne project is completed, said Coun. Clive Doucet.
The Capital Ward councillor wants the city to wait until the Design Lansdowne project is completed before any decision is made.
“Right now we’re trying to come up with a public process that will result in a renaissance for Lansdowne,” said Doucet. “There’s not much point in talking until the design process is complete in 2009.”
A new ownership group led by Jeff Hunt, Roger Greenberg, John Ruddy and William Shenkman said they hope to secure a lease for the use of Frank Clair Stadium sooner rather than later.
“If we want football on the field for 2010, then we’ve got to sit down and get an agreement in the next four to six months,” said Greenberg.
Doucet said he fully supports having a football team in Ottawa, but he doesn’t know if Lansdowne Park is the place for the team to play. He did not suggest an alternate location for the football team.
“It’s premature to be talking about whether the park will be having a football team until after the design process is complete,” said Doucet. “What’s going to carry the day is what the people of Ottawa want for the park.”
The Design Lansdowne project was launched to gather public input and the insights of design professionals to create a “bold, new vision” for the 41-acre site. The timeline on the City of Ottawa’s website said a winning design will be announced next January.
“I think it’s the best process we’ve come up with yet,” said Doucet. “We’ve, in the past, dictated what would go there and people have revolted. Now it’s about the public telling us.”
Doucet said many people have suggested that Frank Clair Stadium should be torn down so the park can become green space.
“There’s a lot of people who want a stadium and a lot who don’t,” said Doucet. “I want the public process to be open and honest.”
Hunt said he does not know if Doucet’s views reflect the will of city council, but he has had encouraging conversations with several councillors.
Coun. Maria McRae and Coun. Doug Thompson have both indicated to other media that they are open to negotiations with the new ownership group, but both were unavailable for comment.
“We’re at a very early stage of what will hopefully become some meaningful discussions with the city,” said Hunt. “One of things we’re depending on very heavily from is input from the councillors at city hall.”
Hunt said while he’s surprised at Doucet’s comments, he is still optimistic that he can work with city councillors “to come up with a solution that everyone can feel good about.”
Part of Hunt’s vision for Lansdowne Park is a state of the art football field. He said the main difference between his group and past attempts to bring football to Ottawa is their commitment to creating a football field that will enhance the experience of fans.
“The other owners were trying to create a world-class experience in a dilapidated facility,” said Hunt. “To me, that was a bad business model.”
The current condition of Frank Clair Stadium has been a concern since city engineers discovered cracks in the south-side stands.
“That stadium is an eyesore,” said Greenberg. “Once the south side stands get torn down it is going to be an embarrassment and make Ottawa a laughing stock for the rest of the country.”
Greenberg said he hopes that in the next four to six months a deal can be reached to fix the stadium and take Ottawa one step closer to securing a CFL team.