THUNDER BAY – The Chippewa Park C.W. Parker Carousel enclosure project was saved after council unanimously voted to grant the project an additional $234,868 from the Renew Thunder Bay Reserve Fund and $300,000 from the Municipal Accommodation Tax Reserve Fund.
A provincial funding source, which Friends of Chippewa Park board secretary Ian Angus said had to remain unnamed because it is up to the province to identify themselves, was approved for $800,000.
Due to the rising cost of inflation, the project needs to secure all funding by Nov. 30 or the $800,000 provincial grant will expire. Hence, the urgency of Friends of Chippewa Park's request for additional funding.
Angus told council the Friends of Chippewa Park have sought out funding opportunities with FedNor for $250,000; however, they have yet to get a reply from the federal assistance program.
“If that money comes through, that will reduce the amount that's required from the city," said Angus.
"We didn't want to be in this position. But when the funder of 800,000 said to us, if you don't have all the money in place, we're going to pull your 800,000. And that in turn would also require us to forego the $439,000 from Heritage Canada,” Angus said.
A few member of council, including Mayor Ken Boshcoff, questioned whether the carousel would be better placed at the marina rather than Chippewa Park.
“The only reason we got the $450,000 from Heritage Canada was because it was tied to the 100th anniversary of the founding of Chippewa Park and the $800,000 from the other funder is also tied to it being at Chippewa Park,” Angus said.
“If there's a negative decision tonight, there will be no building anywhere.”
Both city administration and Friends of Chippewa Park said there is no current business plan to expand the pavilion's operational hours into the winter months because “it doesn't make sense to do that kind of planning until we actually know we're going to have a building,” said Angus.
He did say that opening the pavilion for special winter holidays could be an option moving forward, as well as birthday rentals in the off-season.
Angus said the addition of both the carousel enclosure and new washroom facilities, which are a part of the planned expansion of the pavilion project, would, for now, help extend Chippewa Park's rental season.
He notes that the pavilion on the dance hall side is booked every weekend for weddings throughout the summer and the new washroom facilities would “become the bride's chamber.”
“Right now. The bride and her pretty gowns have to travel across the dirt area to the washrooms if she needs to change out of her wedding dress and change into something else,” Angus said.
“So that will provide an additional value for the rentals for the pavilion. Plus, it will extend those rentals well into September.”
In Nov. 2020, according to the council report, a funding commitment of $300,000 from the Renew Thunder Bay Reserve Fund was supported by the previous council and the project received $450,000 towards the building of the enclosure from Heritage Canada.
