Aud would be ideal spot for youth sports center
9/24/2006
Putting Bass Pro into Memorial Auditorium is like trying to put a size 10 foot in a size 8 shoe. There will not be enough parking, there is no easy access to the water and it will conflict with everything else going on downtown. Bass Pro belongs on Fuhrmann Boulevard, where there is plenty of room for parking and plenty of access to the water. Boaters could pull up and peruse the store, and it would be easily accessible from both directions on the highway.
On the other hand, the Aud would be perfect for an international youth sports center. Like Bass Pro, youth championship events attract many people from all over. There could be lacrosse championships, midget hockey finals, soccer games and many more. These events would draw people from Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Rochester and many other places.
Unlike Bass Pro, the people who come to youth venues spend the night at local hotels and frequent local eateries and movie houses. It would be a real boost to the city and specifically the businesses downtown to use the Aud for what it was designed for and not try to make it something it is not.
Simon F. Manka
Orchard Park