Splash pad for Douglastown could be built in next two years

Fort Erie councillors are dipping their toes in the water of a project that could bring a splash pad to Douglastown.

At Wednesday’s budget meeting, town politicians agreed to fund design work on a splash pad for AC Douglas Park. During November’s capital budget deliberations staff didn’t recommend moving forward with the project yet, basing their decision on the parks and open space master plan, which calls for one spray pad per 750 children between zero and 12 years old.

However, Councillor Ann-Marie Noyes has been pushing for a splash pad in that community for several years and managed to get councillors to agree to defer a decision to Wednesday’s meeting to give the town time to look at other options.

When it came back up for discussion, there was a mix of interest from her fellow councillors. Councillor Joan Christensen said she appreciated the unique geography of Fort Erie, namely Douglastown and Stevensville, and was open to the idea that master plan requirements don’t necessarily take that geography into account.

“I do think that actually initiating the planning is something we should be looking at,” she said.

However, Mayor Wayne Redekop was less certain.

In order to get a spray pad built, Noyes said the town could choose to build something that’s not as extensive as other spray pads in town. The original plan included washrooms and a maintenance building, with staff estimating an overall cost of $750,000. A scaled back option came in at just over $340,000.

“We’re asking for a very basic splash pad for the kids,” Noyes said, adding there was nothing within walking or biking distance of that community, which she said has grown significantly in recent years.

Redekop wasn’t sure about a scaled back design either, at least initially. Such an option might get a spray pad built in the community sooner, but may not meet the needs of the area if it grows as much as it could.

“Once we design something and build it, that will be it for Douglastown,” he said.

To strike a compromise, staff said they could hire consultants to do the design work for a scaled back version, with the understanding the town may opt to add washrooms and other features later and ask them to include placeholder spaces for those potential features without actually doing the design work for them.

Ultimately, council approved $50,000 for that design work in 2026, leaving open the possibility of construction in 2027. The money will come out of reserves, not impacting the levy for 2026. However, staff pointed out that each time they take money out of the reserves, it affects the municipality’s long-term financial planning.

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