With about $5 million at stake, Hamilton councillors suggested such necessary capital items that needed to be funded this year as building an outdoor rink in each ward, improving Hamilton’s neglected roads (pegged at a nearly $96-million infrastructure deficit), dig a water well in Lynden, buy more park land, install traffic lights at problem intersections, invest $900,000 in a downtown building to house local artists, and provide $250,000 to kick start a “creative catalyst” centre for the arts community.

Other ideas submitted included creating a $500,000 trust fund for Flamborough; boost the economic development department; construct an on ramp onto Highway 403 for Ancaster residents; invest monies into Hamilton’s waterfront; and fund Hamilton’s financially- strapped indoor track event, which had been identified as the former Hamilton Spectator Indoor Games at Copps Coliseum before the newspaper pulled its sponsorship.

It was a morning-long exercise held last week that had a few detractors on how the entire session was being orchestrated. A few councillors criticized their colleagues for being too parochial in their capital items, while other politicians didn’t really understand what they were doing, beyond identifying projects that may be financed this year.

“We are heading in the wrong direction,” said Ward 4 Coun. Sam Merulla. “I see the correlation. We are in an election year. We should be focused on the global impact these projects will have.”

The city has about $5 million that can be used for special capital projects in 2010. City staff and councillors wanted to identify the best way to use the money. Last year the money was used to help finance the construction of a community centre in the Beasley neighbourhood, one of the poorest in the city.

The most popular ideas included establishing a “creative catalyst” centre and instigating waterfront development. Tim McCabe, general manager of economic development and planning, said the centre is a cultural project that would centralize Hamilton’s local arts and culture groups. The city is hire a consultant for $150,000 to develop a plan.

Dundas Coun. Russ Power’s idea was to build outdoor ice rinks at a cost of $25,000 in each ward, for a total cost of $300,000. He also suggested building an outdoor rollerblade/skateboard park in the lower city at a cost of about $500,000.

Coun. Bob Bratina and Mayor Fred Eisenberger wanted about $30,000 to reinvigorate the track event. Bratina said at one point the games were one of the most important indoor track events in North America. Major track stars competed, including disgraced former Olympian Ben Johnson.

“It’s economic development,” Bratina said. “It would be embarrassing for Hamilton to lose it, when it is hosting the Pan Am Games.”

Ward 7 (central Mountain) Coun. Scott Duvall urged councillors to divert the money to repair and upgrade the city’s roads that have been on a city priority list to be improved for close to 20 years.

“We say we have no money, but we are coming up with this wish list,” he said.