THUNDER BAY — Six years after the Hogarth Fountain in Waverley Park sprung a leak, city staff will be moving forward on the design work to modernize it.
The city included $100,000 in the 2025 capital budget for phase one of the project. They will hire a consultant team to look at new mechanical and electrical systems, as well as water supply and sanitary drain systems which should greatly reduce maintenance requirements in the future.
They would look at restoring the esthetics and structure of the fountain itself in phase two, as well as landscaping and adding seating and lighting around the fountain area.
A third phase of the project includes adding accessibility to the cenotaph area and connecting it to Red River Road.
Administration estimates that the full cost to get the fountain working again will be approximately $1 million, while the second phase of the project is estimated at approximately $400,000.
The third phase, the design and restoration of the cenotaph area, is also projected to cost about $1 million.
Coun. Rajni Agarwal asked if administration would consider changing the three-year plan to prioritize the cenotaph and to use the city’s Clean Green and Beautiful reserve fund.
Werner Schwar, supervisor of Parks and Open Spaces Planning, said the reason the fountain was prioritized first was because it hadn’t been functional for six years, whereas the cenotaph is functional although “it's not universally accessible."
Schwar also said the cenotaph area would need extensive earthworks and removal of existing hard surfaces which includes retaining walls. They would also need to install new lighting and electrical fixtures, as well as, new subsurface drainage and stormwater management, litter and recycling management, extensive tree planting, horticultural planting beds, and the creation of a new parade lawn.
Additionally, the cenotaph would need restoration of the plaque display and artwork enhancement.
The non-profit group Coalition for Waverley Park is hoping the city will join their funding application to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.
Chair David Noonan told council they have secured $50,000 from the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) and submitted an application to Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) for $1.2 million, to cover about half the cost of the project.
Noonan said NOHFC has approved moving their application into the second stage, but they need the city to be a co-applicant because the fountain and cenotaph are city-owned assets.
This would mean the city will need to commit the other half of the funding for the application to be successful.
Kayla Dixon, Commissioner of Infrastructure & Operations, noted that the $1.2 million to leverage this application will not be in the 2025 budget, but will be considered for approval in the 2026 capital budget after administration “gets a better understanding of the current costs and site implications.”
Council may be asked to make a decision on the NOHFC application during the 2026 budget process.
Meanwhile, Noonan said, “the coalition for Waverley Park will continue to look for other sources of funding to lower the cost to city taxpayers.”
Coun. Shelby Ch'ng asked administration if money from the sale of the city’s parkettes could be used to help fund the project.
City Treasurer Keri Greaves said, “when the parkettes are sold, those funds will be directed into a new reserve fund that will be created for that purpose and through the budgeting process in 2026 those funds would be available for a variety of initiatives including the Waverly Park fountain.”
