After years of waiting for city council to take decisive action on the down-at-heel FirstOntario Centre, Hamilton Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer is reaching the end of his tether.

"There comes a point where … you have to look at options," says Andlauer, whose lease with the city expires June, 2020.

"We will not be in the same position a year from now, not knowing what we're doing. At least I won't be."

What does that mean?

"I always have options. Our boundaries are Hamilton-Brantford-Burlington area. So at the end of the day we'll look at what's in the best interest of the Bulldogs, and if someone else wants the money then maybe we'll venture that way."

Andlauer was responding to city council's notion of selling the aging city-owned arena, FirstOntario Concert Hall and Hamilton Convention Centre to save tax dollars and spur private sector commercial and residential development around the facilities.

Consultants Ernst & Young were recently hired to provide divestment and other options. Staff hope to put the report before council in July.

But Andlauer expects little to come of it other than "paralysis by analysis." When it lands on council's table, he believes it will trigger a lot of pontificating but nothing will happen.

"And if it does, when? Next January? Two years from now?"

That's clearly too long for Andlauer, the arena's anchor tenant whose team won the 2018 Ontario Hockey League championship. As much as he loves Hamilton, he says there's a limit to his patience.

The city calculates that the arena needs more than $34 million in capital repairs over the next five years to address immediate concerns.

According to Andlauer, even with those expenditures, it will still be "subpar" compared to OHL venues in St. Catharines or Oshawa.

A 2016 consultant's report suggested the arena could be renovated for $68 million and rebuilt for $252 million.

Andlauer notes the city has been talking about this for years yet nothing ever happens — except more tax dollars get sunk into more repairs.

"I find that we have a hard time making decisions in transforming our city."

Andlauer is willing to put his money where his mouth is. He's still ready to build and operate a smaller OHL-sized arena on the Mountain and split the estimated $60-million cost with the city.

He's talked to the mayor, some councillors, staff, and Cadillac Fairview, the owner of Lime Ridge Mall, about it. But he can't commit to anything because the city hasn't committed to anything.

"And that's where the frustration lies."

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He supports the concept of enticing private sector investment to a sport and entertainment precinct downtown, which will be part of the forthcoming Ernst & Young report. But the city has to take action rather than keep looking at reports.

"Whether it would be on the Mountain or the downtown doesn't matter to me as long as we did something. The problem is we're not doing anything. It just keeps on. It's been years."

Coun. Sam Merulla, who's leading the divestment charge for the three city facilities, says Andlauer's idea of a joint venture on the Mountain won't fly because council is trying to get out of the business, not into it.

"We have pressures from everywhere. The (provincial) downloading file is the biggest one. But there's no appetite, politically or publicly, to support private hockey entertainment from taxes."

Merulla says Andlauer is right — in the past initiatives like the Ernst & Young report would have collected dust on a shelf.

But in this case he says council and staff are motivated to take action.

The combination of avoiding big capital expenditures and the opportunity to increase tax assessment and residential development is too compelling to ignore.

That's why his motion to proceed with the study was unanimously supported.

"This is not one of those reports that is going to get shelved."

Time will tell. And nobody will be watching more closely than Andlauer.

Andrew Dreschel's commentary appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. adreschel@thespec.com @AndrewDreschel

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