To the editor,
I understand the Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre will be built for $4 million all in, with the city's portion already accounted for. I understand that Soccer Northern Ontario wants to spend over $55 million which includes financing charges to be paid by the citizens of future generations.
I cannot be the only taxpayer in the city who sees this as an elitist attempt to build another legacy monument. Can't the soccer people build the same thing as the tennis people?
Sudbury soccer, which is only 600 straight miles away, is building a soccer bubble for $4 million, Edmonton built their soccer dome with seating for 1,000 for $8.24 million (in 2024 dollars), Summerside is finishing their soccer dome for $5 million, etc, etc.
According to an online cost calculator a soccer dome should cost between $2.1 and $4.2 million. I'll even bet there's a large company in the area willing to put up 10 per cent of the building costs if we stick their name on the building.
City administration and city council should take a step back, take the temperature of the taxpayers and see there isn't much appetite for spending $55 million when $5 million is more than enough. At a minimum this should be a referendum item, if not dismissed out of hand.
If everyone is worried about the environment then don't build it at all, and play outdoors like every kid did for the first 2,000 years.
Rick Perkins
Thunder Bay
