EPC tosses temporary life preserver to two of three city pools targeted for closure in budget

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/03/2024 (578 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After many pleas to keep them open, the City of Winnipeg appears poised to delay budget plans to close two pools, but a third would still shut down.

The Windsor Park outdoor pool would now stay open through 2025, while Eldon Ross indoor pool would keep operating this summer, based on a proposal to alter the city’s 2024-2027 budget. Council’s executive policy committee approved the plans Tuesday, which await a final council vote.

There does not appear to be a reprieve on the table for Happyland outdoor pool in St. Boniface.

The three pools were slated to close in the city’s preliminary budget but the move was strongly opposed by members of the public and city councillors who argued the facilities are valuable, well-used community amenities.

Mayor Scott Gillingham told reporters keeping Windsor Park open for the outdoor pool seasons in 2024 and 2025 would ensure a swimming option during renovations at the nearby Bonivital Pool and also allow time for public consultations to begin this summer on “the future of aquatics” in the St. Boniface ward.

However, the mayor noted the city will continue reviewing its oldest facilities.

“There comes a time when we look at some of the aging assets in the City of Winnipeg where we just have to stop putting Band-Aids on things and say the better decision is to close or decommission an asset and look longer term at the kind of services that we (as) Winnipeggers need in the future,” said Gillingham.

EPC also voted to postpone plans for a new Winakwa Community Centre spray pad, which would delay its opening to 2028 from 2027.

Finance chairman Coun. Jeff Browaty linked the Eldon Ross closure to low attendance.

Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface) said he’s hopeful a new facility in St. Boniface will emerge following the consultations.

“I’m going to work with the mayor and council and do everything I can to make that happen,” said Allard.

He said the Happyland pool closure will be a significant loss.

“I think it’s devastating for the community. To the person I spoke to from the neighbourhood yesterday… I did everything I could (to save it), and I’m sorry,” said Allard.

Browaty indicated he also sees a need for some type of pool in St. Boniface but the details still have to be sorted out.

“All of the pools, including the Provencher Pool, are very old assets in the St. Boniface area… Some type of swimming pool, I think, is warranted. Where that’s going to be (and) what it’s going to look like is still to be determined,” he said.

The Eldon Ross indoor pool and wading pool are now slated to remain open this summer, pending council approval. The city plans to issue a request for proposals to sell the facility with a requirement that potential buyers continue allowing public access.

That plan was proposed by Coun. Vivian Santos, whose ward includes the pool.

“The problem that we’re dealing with, in our city, is always deferring the maintenance of all of our recreational amenities, especially pools. At this point… the cost to keep the pool open is $10 million (in repairs and maintenance over the next decade). If I can save the pool, I’ve got to think outside the box,” said Santos (Point Douglas).

City staff are expected to return with a report in July on the exact criteria that would require a buyer to allow some public access to the site.

“It could be as simple as (a city-funded) operating grant to this third-party service provider so that we could kind of offset some of those costs… so (public pool access) can remain affordable… Hopefully, someone within the community can come forward and purchase the building and keep the building open,” said Santos.

Meanwhile, EPC aims to postpone the relocation of some Winnipeg Parking Authority staff from 495 Portage Ave. into a vacant former café space at city hall to save $2 million, then use the savings to help pay for the pools and other budget changes.

Gillingham said the relocation project could have cost between $2 million and $3 million.

“When you weigh that right now against the cost of staying where they are, it’s just too expensive… and, so, the decision was to put a hold on that,” he said.

EPC also voted to provide funding for additional hours at the Harvey Smith library branch in the West End; it would open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, between Labour Day and Victoria Day.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Head Start

Weekday Mornings

A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day.

Sign up for Head Start

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

However, calls to keep the downtown Millennium Library open Sundays during the same dates were dismissed.

“One of the things that we have to understand is that, frankly, the cost of opening the Millennium Library on Sundays is $2,000 an hour. It is significantly more than opening any other library,” said Gillingham, adding it will cost about one-tenth of that amount to open the Harvey Smith branch.

Council is set to cast a final vote on the budget, and any proposed changes, Wednesday.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga

Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.