THUNDER BAY – Dease Pool supporters of the Southside McKellar Ward state they were stunned to learn today that $3.6 million that the city administration had said would be the figure needed to rebuild Dease Pool is now the number being quoted for a feasibility study for the planned Indoor Turf Facility.
NetNewsLedger has been notified that the Renew Dease Pool and Park team will be setting up their picket line outside City Hall this evening at 6 pm to relay to City Council and their Ward Councillor Brian Hamilton that this is unacceptable.
Lori Paras, one of the team members of Renew Dease Pool and Park tells NetNewsLedger, “This is the biggest slap in the face to southside residents and the citizens of Thunder Bay in general. I am not opposed to a new Art Gallery or an Indoor Turf Facility, what I am opposed to is the sheer madness that this city council and administration believes there are no funds in the coffers to care for the oldest outdoor pool in North America that has brought joy to thousands of children, but there are millions of dollars to study a project, that in my opinion, is unaffordable at this time for the city. We need to repair our existing infrastructure and build new when we have the funds to do so.”
The Renew Dease Pool team has been working tirelessly since December, 2019 when Council passed a resolution to close Dease Pool. The city has offered programming in place of swimming at Dease Pool for area youth, but no tangible program has been presented to date to the community.