Area around Club 77 too violent, so speed up plan to turn it into a park: residents

A fatal shooting. Sexual assaults. People punched in the face and thrown to the ground.

That's the view residents of Film Work Lofts say they see sometimes outside their windows as they look across King William Street to Club Seventy-Seven. Now they want the city to hurry up with a planned park that would see the club gone.

There's a sense of duress in this building.- Dale Mugford, Film Work Lofts

Residents have signed a petition for the city to move ahead with the John/Rebecca Park, a project that would see land fromKing William to Rebecca streets, and John toCatharinestreets, become much-needed green space.TheBeasleyNeighbourhood Association backs the request, and supports expropriating the club if necessary.

"The violence is so significantly prevalent to residents," said DaleMugford, who chairs the Film WorkLofts board.

"There's a sense of duress in this building."

Work on the John/Rebecca Park was scheduled to start in 2012. When it's finished, the plannedpark would occupyproperty currently home to the club and a large surface parking lot.

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But a Gore Park plan needed to be done too, said Coun. Jason Farr. With the Pan Am Games coming, and other high profile changes there, the city swapped the timelines for John/Rebecca and the Gore so the latter would happenfirst.

"I was never not focused on one day making John/Rebecca Park a priority," Farrsaid. "We just flipped the two."

But the recent shooting death of doorman Vincent Lofaro outside Club Seventy-Seven where a woman was also shot has brought public attention to the John/Rebecca plan again.

There will be a community meeting on June 21 at 7 p.m. at theBeasleyCommunity Centre. Farr will be there, and residents will share their stories with him.Mugfordhopes that leads to action.

"A lot of residents are saying 'What happened to the park? It was supposed to be a park,'"Mugfordsaid. "This is a symbol of violence and we thought it would be a symbol of peace."

CBC Hamilton contacted Club Seventy-Seven this week. A man who identified himself as the owner wouldn't comment or give his name.

"I'm not interested in talking about the park," he said."If they want me to move, I'll move, but they have to pay me for it."

Under the current schedule, detailed design work on the John/Rebecca Park will begin in 2018.City councillors would have to approve doing it sooner, Farrsaid. He's open to that happening.

"I have no qualms withinvestigating the feasibility of that."