North Bay City Council has unanimously supported the construction of a splash pad. The only remaining question is: where will it go?
A faction of the Downtown Waterfront Advisory Committee is pushing for the splash pad to be located near the shore of Lake Nipissing, at Marathon Beach, saying that citizen polling is being ignored in the matter.
Jay Aspin and Gary Gardiner, both citizen members of the committee say that there are cost savings to be realized by placing the splash pad where there are existing washroom facilities (that would need to be upgraded) and lifeguards. The opportunity for a complete family experience, say the two, comes from the proximity to the lake and the opportunity for children of all ages to enjoy both the lake and a splash pad.
A City of North Bay strategic plan envisions the splash pad situated near the Discovery North Bay Museum. The idea with this option is to tie together the downtown core with accessible pedestrian pathways near family-friendly and active options.
Two local service clubs, the North Bay, and, Nipissing Rotary Club, have raised $250,000 toward the construction and are promising to raise more funds, in addition to pursuing government funding to make the project they have been working on since 2007 a reality.
Chair of community services Mark King split the motion, so Council voted on giving support to the Rotary Clubs while the question of location has been referred back to committee. Councillor King says that he hopes to have a decision on that front by January 15, 2018.
