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City staff wants to close wading pools and build more splash pads

Splash pads seen as cheaper to maintain and much more efficient in water use
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Wading pools are out and splash pads are in for the City of Guelph.

A staff report is recommending that the city close its four aging, inefficient and costly wading pools and install more water efficient splash pads.

But those splash pads aren't cheap, costing an estimated $400,000 to $600,000 each, says the report, which goes to City Council's Committee of the Whole on June 6.

The report calls for staff to come up with a 10-year capital program to identify costs and locations for new splash pads.

Guelph currently has three wading pools, at Sunny Acres Park, Exhibition Park and Mico Valeriote Park. Those wading pools are all at least 40 years old with Sunny Acres being 70 years old.

There are currently five splash pads with two more (at Jubilee Park and Northview Park) set to open this summer.

The report calls for the wading pools at Sunny Acres and Exhibition to be replaced with splash pads and the Mico Valeriote wading pool be closed due to low use and poor public access.

"The City’s three wading pools are currently more than 40 years old. These facilities are not accessible; require full-time staff supervision while in operation to meet current health regulations; have high water use and an annual operating cost of $19,000 per pool in 2016," the report says.

A splash pad costs $15,000 a year to operate.

One of the main goals is to reduce operating costs and save water.

 

 

 

 


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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