Neighbourhood group slams city for lack of transparency in recommending closure of Thames Pool
The Old South Community Organization (OSCO) is expressing concern about city staff’s failure to consult with stakeholders before recommending that Thames Pool be decommissioned.
“The lack of process and opportunity to voice concerns or examine viable remedial options on this proposal is disheartening,” reads a news release by OSCO. “As a result, many people are now expressing a lack of confidence in the city’s ability to operate in a fully transparent and consultative manner.”
A report to council’s Community and Protective Services Committee on March 14 describes serious structural damage that will prevent the pool from opening this summer, and city staff recommend its permanent decommissioning and replacement with a spray pad.
Five options for the future of Thames Pool were considered:
- Conducting minimum repairs ($375,000)
- Extensive repairs ($600,000)
- Rehabilitation ($4 million)
- Rebuild ($12 million)
- Decommission
The future of the pool is up to city council, but the neighbourhood group said a key piece of information is missing.
“Voting on a report which omits the cost of the recommended option is not appropriate in any capacity,” the release said.
The pool underwent redevelopment from 2009 to 2010.
“We question whether poor design, engineering, and/or construction contributed to the need for greater repairs after the reconstruction of the facility in 2010,” reads the news release.
OSCO wants council to take three steps:
- Enact the report’s first option facilitating minimum repairs
- Seek all available financial options at municipal, provincial, and federal levels
- An examination of the 2010 reconstruction (engineering plans, construction details, initial and final reports) by an independent impartial consulting engineer and subject matter expert
Since 1975, the OSCO has been a member-run volunteer organization dedicated to protecting and improving the quality of life in the Old South neighbourhood and the city.
The Community and Protective Services Committee will consider the staff report at a meeting on March 21 at 4:15 p.m. in council chambers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.