Thunder Bay administration want more time and feedback on what to do with the former Dease Pool site.
Since the demolition in 2020, various options have been put on the table as to how the city would adapt the site.
During Monday’s council meeting staff confirmed that they received 256 responses during an online survey, but General Manager of Community Services Kelly Robertson didn’t feel they got enough from the local neighbourhood.
“Some of the reasons might be that the engagement took place predominantly in July and early August, so perhaps the timeframe was not appropriate. We would like to see council’s permission to try to do an additional engagement through alternative means,” requested Robertson.
Council did vote in favour of the extended consultation period which will take place primarily in September of this year.
This means it will see the discussion resume in December.
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Mayor Bill Mauro praised administration for carrying out the consultation piece, but fears extending the report could cause some issues.
“The key position in timing of this is capital budget, so your commitment is for it to be back in December,” explains Mauro. “I don’t know if it will be reflected, unlikely, in the capital budget books we receive because that book is almost finished now, that’s my thought and my consideration moving forward. This delay may actually hurt the ability for something to occur in 2022 if council wants to see something happen in the Dease Park area in 2022.”
McKellar Ward Councillor Brian Hamilton responded, saying there was already funds allocated for the project, and believes there should be more conversation.
“There will be shovels in the ground, there has been money set aside not in future capital budgets but in the current budget to get this project moving,” says Hamilton. “The last little bit of consultation is specific to the Dease Pool site, and is specific to the road calming measures that we’re looking at for Dease Street. Those are the two components that we’re going to be looking at and the consultation they need, and we need a little more feedback from the neighborhood.”
Some of the ideas in how to repurpose the pool site include a pickleball court, a tennis court, or a skate park.
