THUNDER BAY – Plans to convert the former site of Dease Pool to a skateboard park will help continue and even expand the pool’s legacy as a hub for area youth, according to advocates and the city councillor representing the area.
Thunder Bay’s city council approved the plan for a skate park and public plaza at the site, just across the street from Dease Park, earlier this month.
For John Kelly, who has advocated for the concept as chair of the Thunder Bay Skateboard Coalition, supporting the skate park is a chance to give back to the neighbourhood where he grew up.
“This was our sanctuary – we grew up playing basketball and swimming in the pool here,” he said. “This park kept us out of a lot of trouble we could have gotten into.
“I look at how you pay that forward to the next generation and give them something to look forward to after school or on the weekends, [so] they have somewhere they can meet their friends and build their own little community here.”
Coun. Brian Hamilton, who represents the McKellar Ward on Thunder Bay’s city council, said the city’s plans for Dease Park and the former pool site represent an improvement, not a step backward.
“There’s no question, there was a lot of support for rebuilding a pool,” he said. “I get that… but we found [Art] Widnall Pool is very close, and we’re looking to expand the service provisions in this neighbourhood.”
Council has approved funding for plans to build a boarded ice rink/basketball court at Dease Park, as well as rebuilding pathways and adding lighting.
Plans for a skate park are approved in principle, but don’t yet have a budget or timeline attached.
The skate park was recommended by city administration following significant consultation, including an online survey, on-site open house, and consultations with students from nearby schools.
“There was overwhelming support for the idea of a skate plaza,” said supervisor of parks and open space planning Werner Schwar.
Of 360 survey respondents, about 70 per cent supported the skate park concept, along with 84 per cent of the roughly 70 people who attended in-person consultations.
The city had heard some concerns about noise from neighbourhood residents, Schwar said, but he believes noise can be mitigated to a reasonable level – though he conceded it might not satisfy every resident.
The city will work with acoustics experts to draw up noise dampening plans, he said.
Both Kelly and Hamilton expressed confidence in the approach.
“That’s been very well thought out in this design,” said Kelly. “There’ll be a full tree barrier along the back and the side, and a full noise prevention wall angled back toward the street.”
“I think the plan is a good one,” Hamilton said. “I’ve had a lot of talks with the neighbours… I think we’ve addressed a lot of [their] concerns.”
The perception that skateboarding is associated with noise and nuisance is more stereotype than substance, Hamilton believes.
While he acknowledged concerns from a small number of residents, he said the strong support for the skate park in community consultations shows the perception of the sport is evolving, along with the reality.
“I think that’s changing – I skateboard myself, and I see a lot more older people getting into it,” he said. “We saw the female skateboard coalition doing a lot of work with young female skateboarders this year, and that was incredible to see.”
For Kelly, concerns over noise and vandalism are familiar territory. He was involved in the campaign for a skate park at Prince Arthur’s Landing, which attracted furious opposition from some corners.
He said the result speaks for itself – and shows concerns about the Dease skate park are overblown.
“There’s a sense of ownership,” he said. “If you look, that park is 13 years old – no graffiti, no broken glass… that park looks the same way it did [when it opened] in 2008.”
“People are just going to use the [Dease skate] park… When you have it on a high-traffic corner like this, there are more eyes on you, and less of that [graffiti, broken glass] can happen.”
The skate park can also be used with bikes, scooters, and roller blades, he said.
Kelly also hopes the skate park won’t overshadow the fact the city is planning for a range of activities for all ages. The plans for the pool site include adding a public plaza at the corner of Dease and Vickers streets with seating and more green space, for example.
The revamp will support not just sports, but other community programming like movie nights and art projects, Hamilton said.
The city has estimated the total cost of all planned improvements to the park and former pool site at just under $1.7 million.
That includes about $550,000 already budgeted for park upgrades including a boarded basketball court/ice rink, walkways and lighting, a sitting area, tree-planting, and an enhanced playground.
Construction on much of that work is set to go ahead in the summer of 2022.
Another possible future phases of development for the park would add an amenity building with accessible washrooms, running water, and space to change into skates. Costs are estimated at $600,000, not yet budgeted by the city.
More detailed consultation will refine the concept for the skate park and public plaza at the former pool site, with a report due back to council in the fourth quarter of 2022. Total costs to redevelop the site are estimated at $505,000.
The city will also consider four options for traffic calming on the section of Dease Street that connects the park and former pool site, ranging from the status quo to full closure, with possibilities like bumpouts and painted crossings in between.
“I think we heard loud and clear from the neighbourhood itself that they view Dease Street in its current form as an issue, especially if both [the park and former pool site] get developed for year-round use," said Schwar.
Pilot projects testing the options are planned for the summer. A recommendation on that issue would come back to council in the fourth quarter of 2022.
