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Candian Dairy XPO Cow Coliseum moved to Fairgrounds


With snow on the ground and the clock ticking, Stratford city council on Monday gave approval to the Canadian Dairy XPO to construct its Cow Coliseum on the north edge of the former Fairgrounds property.

After being told by the city’s chief building official and fire chief that the structure — located directly behind the Rotary Complex for the first three years — contravened a number of codes, the Dairy XPO announced plans to erect a new, larger Cow Coliseum on privately owned property to the west.

But with concerns about the impact on rapidly-expanding residential development in the west and with the required rezoning yet to take place, Dairy XPO founder and general manager Jordon Underhill met with city CEO Ron Shaw, manager of infrastructure Jeff Leunissen and area developers on Friday to try to find a different solution.

It quickly became obvious that the move to the former Fairgrounds was the only option that was going to fly, Shaw told council Monday night.

“This is the best we could come up with,” he said, emphasizing that time was of the essence with the Dairy XPO scheduled for April.

The Dairy XPO will erect the structure at its own expense and enter into a three-year lease of the land with the city, and an option to renew for three more. Included is a clause allowing the city to break the lease on one year’s notice if it required the land for another use.

Unlike earlier this month where the Dairy XPO unsuccessfully sought to have the city spend about $140,000 on a two-lane access road linking the Rotary Complex to the former Fairgrounds, Underhill said he was coming to council “asking for a home for a half-million dollar investment we’re prepared to make on behalf of both this project and the City of Stratford.”

The Cow Coliseum was created out of necessity because cattle could not be housed overnight in the Rotary Complex. Since then, “it’s evolved and become part of the magic of the show,” Underhill said, noting that innovators from the U.K., Israel and Australia are among those scheduled to give demonstrations in the building at the 2016 show.

Dave Tennant, speaking on behalf of Northwest Stratford Development and Earth Park Homes, said that having seen what happens during the Dairy XPO, “we believe it’s an important part of the fabric of Stratford and we will work with staff and other parties to enhance that show.”

But the Fairgrounds were deemed “a more appropriate place” for the Cattle Coliseum than to put it on parkland that current and future residents of the development expect to use, he said.

Coun. Kathy Vassilakos expressed concern with the coliseum being placed on property surrounded by houses and which young people use daily on their way to and from school, and she asked if citizens would have an opportunity to weigh in before a final decision was made.

Coun. Kerry McManus agreed and made a motion to defer the decision to a later council meeting to allow input from other groups and individuals.

“I think it’s important when it’s a significant amount of parkland that will be out of commission and only used for this event primarily,” said McManus, who could not get a seconder to her motion.

Coun. Bonnie Henderson and Coun. George Brown both suggested that area residents shouldn’t be taken by surprise, given the Fairground’s previous use.

“Anybody who’s lived up there for long has dealt with the problem,” Brown said. “We’re worrying about something that we shouldn’t have to.”

In supporting the motion, Coun. Martin Ritsma said that Stratford was blessed to not only be in one of the most productive agriculture areas in Canada, but also blessed to have a tourist attraction that brought about 15,000 people to the city last year.

“Is this the ideal location, I don’t think it is. But I think it’s a step toward the right location,” Ritsma said. “I look at it as saying ‘we appreciate the fact the Dairy XPO is in Stratford and we’re going to make an effort to maintain that tourist attraction.'”

In a recorded vote, council agreed 9-2 to the staff recommendations. McManus and Vassilakos voted against the motion.

Included in the recommendations was $25,000 to $30,000 from the city for minimal improvement to the existing single-lane connection between the Rotary Complex and the proposed parking areas at the Fairgrounds.

Underhill acknowledged it would be “a challenge and some work” to connect the Cow Coliseum to the main part of the Dairy XPO, and could potentially involve a bridge over the storm pond, “but that’s our issue to work through.”

Back in August, the Dairy XPO announced it was moving from February to April for at least the next five years.

That decision was made in part because of the Canadian Junior Curling Championships scheduled to be held at the Rotary Complex from Jan. 23-31, 2016.

Source: Stratford Beacon Herald


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