The Hollinger Park splash pad could be open for the whole summer.
Mayor Steve Black says RFP bids for the remediation work to the splash pad and playground areas are coming back higher than expected. The City of Timmins had planned to fence off the splash pad and part of Hollinger park in early summer to improve surface areas around the playground and splash pad, remove the sand and brick to make it compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and import some fill to help drainage in the low-lying areas. Black says staff will be coming to council with a recommendation to defer the work to the area until the fall for more bids closer to what was budgeted comes in.
Fencing off the splash pad and parts of the park has been a controversial topic. Resident Leena MacDonald brought some community concerns to council in February saying the work was wanted by the community, but fencing off the park around Stars and Thunder was seen as a tactic to punish the community for not buying tickets.
Black says this delay would not change the overall timeline of the park’s remediation work. He says the work planned to start after the eight-day festival will still go ahead.
He says this change would have to be approved by council. A verbal report will be brought to the table on Tuesday.