Oshawa looking at ice rink/splash pad for Rotary Pool site
Published June 24, 2021 at 1:21 pm
Oshawa is asking for public feedback this summer on an outdoor ice rink and major splash pad for Rotary Park, less than nine months from the day they were denied federal funding for an outdoor pool project for the site.
The preferred option of staff is now the rink and splash pad, with a small playground as well, though the previous pool option – approved by Council in 2017 – is still on the table.
Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter said the public consultation on the issue will decide the direction council goes.
“We want to make sure we get it right.”
Rotary Pool has been closed for three seasons because of poor condition, a situation City Council had been aware of since they launched a feasibility study on replacing the pool two years prior. In early 2019 the preferred design concept was presented to council, which included a new leisure pool, bathhouse, splash pad, “destination playground” and other amenities.
The project, with an estimated cost (including demolition of the existing structure) of just under $8 million, was contingent on a grant from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The City was informed its application was denied last September, sending staff back to the drawing board.
The new proposal calls for an outdoor rink and splash pad and a slightly smaller playground. The cost estimates for the project sit at around $7 million and Council has already dedicated $4.8 million in federal gas tax money, with staff instructed to investigate using development charges, city reserve funds and potential interfund loan options, to supply “any outstanding funds required.”
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If approved, construction is scheduled to be completed in late 2023.
Staff is expected to report back to Council after the public consultation process is completed in the fall.
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