If you live here in Niagara, you hear your share of negative stories about the Region far too often, as I often do. So I thought this evening I would share a couple of good news stories about Niagara in general and St. Catharines in particular, and offer congratulations on a job well done.
This past weekend, the new Meridian Centre opened to the public with a free open house on Saturday, and by all accounts it was very well attended and everyone was suitably impressed. I waited until the second open house on Tuesday evening, as I was able to include my sister, down from Kenora for a family visit. They are hockey mad in Northern Ontario as you can imagine, and she expressed sheer delight such a magnificent facility was right here in our own backyards.
Me? Well, I've not spent too much time in hockey arenas, but I have enough to know this place is very special indeed. First of all, the name, of course. What better way to show a commitment to the community than to pay for the naming rights to an exceptional new facility that will benefit all of Niagara? Meridian, you've done us all proud by showing your support for the new spectator facility.
Touring the new digs on Tuesday, I was pleased to see such wide walkways and good spacing for the seats, and of course those necessary cup holders on the seats. But more than that, I was pleased to see the smiling faces and approving nods of those who love what they see.
Oh sure, there has been harping since the beginning about the cost, the location, whether we need the thing at all, and so on. Listen, from my vantage point, things are just fine, thank you very much. The thing was built on time and on budget, and it possesses enough of a 'wow' factor to silence many of the critics, I suspect.
Putting the Meridian Centre in the centre of town is important and will prove a good choice over time. It will draw people downtown for many events, not just hockey, and that is significant. I could quibble about how William Street was not converted to two-way traffic in time for the opening, as I suggested in an earlier post, but I am hoping a new Council after the forthcoming election will see to it that issue is dealt with. It will make parking a lot easier, I suspect.
Speaking of which, congrats to St. Catharines Transit for coming up with a clever promotion to get people to take the bus to and from events at the Meridian Centre. If you have a ticket that day, you can ride free up to three hours before and then again after the event. Not perfect if you just miss a bus and have to wait for the next one, but if you work on your own personal schedule and can make it happen, this is a great way to avoid parking problems at events downtown.
As for the game tonight, the first-ever at the new Meridian Centre, the Niagara Ice Dogs win the game along with the hearts of a sold-out Meridian Centre crowd. Well done, team, on all levels.
So, the place is up and running and now we can anticipate next year's opening of the new Performing Arts Centre and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts Centre, making downtown St. Catharines an exciting place to be in years to come. Hold on to your hats, folks, the ride is just beginning!
I ask you: when was the last time you saw so much optimism on the future of downtown St. Catharines? It is not perfect of course, but in time we'll find the investments in the downtown core will pay significant dividends both financially and in terms of quality of life in Niagara.
The second good news story comes from an event I attended at the lovely Keefer Mansion Inn up on the hill in Thorold last evening, hosted by Phil Ritchie, the man behind the extensive rebuild of the old place a few years ago. Phil and his lovely fiancee have hosted a dinner/speaker series at Keefer for a few years now, and last evening was a celebration of the past, present and future of not only the speaker series, but of Niagara itself.
Phil invited back several past speakers as well as the general public to attend an informal discussion on how Niagara has changed since each speaker had last appeared at the Keefer Inn, as well as what they see necessary in the future. It was a fundraiser for Community Care of St. Catharines & Thorold, a local resource near and dear to my heart.
Some of the guests who attended last evening were Brock University President Jack Lightstone; Niagara College President Dan Patterson; Community Care CEO Betty-Lou Souter; Tom Rankin of Rankin Construction; Sun Media Niagara Publisher Mark Cressman; former Niagara Falls Review head honcho Frank Leslie and many others. Everyone provided enlightening conversation on what they see as the needs to be filled in Niagara as well as what has been done so far. All in all, it was an inspiring evening.
Look, there is far too much negative news reaching us on a daily basis. Last evening at the Keefer Inn and this evening at the Meridian Centre provided Niagara with reasons to smile, celebrate, be optimistic for the future, and say collectively: "This really is a special place we call home!"
What could be better than a week like that?
October 16th, 2014.
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