FHC in the press:
Posted 
07-31-09
Commons may become more concert-ready
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter, The Chronicle Herald
The Halifax Commons — it’s many things to many people. To residents, it’s a placid, green oasis in the middle of the city.
Carefree children love to play there with their parents, whether it’s Frisbee tossing, kite flying or just a game of catch. Tourists might use the wide open park for a leisurely stroll.
The homeless have slept under its bushes, and the stars.
To music business operators, and government employees trying to lure major artists to the city, the Commons is a terrific concert site. It’s been a popular place these last few years where "special events" have been held in front of thousands of ticket buyers.
Now, there’s a move afoot, between city hall and the province, to consider designating the Halifax Commons a permanent performance venue. The idea doesn’t mean erecting a stage and bleachers, but it could mean hooking up the park to the power grid for a permanent source of electricity, Mayor Peter Kelly said Thursday.
He noted that no decision has been made. In fact, Halifax regional council is still waiting for a post-mortem from municipal staff on the use of the park for successive shows put on by Sir Paul McCartney and Kiss earlier this month.
"There is discussion around the need to power up the Commons," Mr. Kelly told The Chronicle Herald. "In other words, rather than bring in two or three generators (for music events), if it is to remain a focal point for major concerts then the need to power up (the site) is very much in the forefront."
Mr. Kelly said how that might come about has yet to be determined.
Though it’s a large urban space available to citizens for their enjoyment, the Halifax Commons over the decades has been used by private enterprise. A portion of it was even paved over, in the 1990s, for a turn needed for the Moosehead Grand Prix car race.
Local park lovers, such as members of the Friends of the Halifax Common, lament the commercial encroachment. The group’s website pays tribute to the park’s past and voices concern over its future.
The Friends say city hall has essentially "ignored" its own management plan for the Commons, a blueprint devised in 1994 after a public outcry stemming from the now-defunct Moosehead Grand Prix.
And this newspaper, in an editorial published last September, chastised the city for temporarily snatching sections of the park for business reasons.
"If an outdoor venue for entertainment events is important — and it surely is — then the city should find an appropriate place, develop it as necessary, and leave the Commons alone to be enjoyed by everyone, all year long," the editorial said. "For many, many Haligonians, that would be progress."
Scott Ferguson, of Trade Centre Ltd., the provincial Crown corporation charged with attracting economic opportunities to Halifax Regional Municipality and beyond, said the Commons is becoming known in concert circles as a top-drawer venue.
He told News 95.7 Thursday there have been talks between his agency and city hall with respect to looking at the site as a permanent spot for large shows. That would mean getting the Commons hooked up to the power grid in the future, Mr. Ferguson told the radio station.
Mr. Kelly, who’s on the board of directors at Trade Centre Ltd., acknowledged "there have been some discussions in terms of working collectively and collaboratively with (the agency) to continue to look for opportunities to bring high-calibre acts to HRM."
But nothing is etched in stone, the mayor said, regarding having the Commons singled out as a permanent concert site.
"Rather than bring in two or three generators (for music events), if it is to remain a focal point for major concerts then the need to power up (the site) is very much in the forefront".
MAYOR PETER KELLY