THUNDER BAY – All co-ed hot tub plans at the Canada Games Complex have been suspended due to cost.
The lowest bid in a Request For Proposals process that would have moved the whirlpools from gendered locker rooms to the pool deck came in at $710,000, far higher than the council-approved value of $410,000.
Acting general manager of community services Gerry Broere said the city misread market conditions.
“It was an underestimate, to be honest,” Broere said.
“These things sometimes happen. We look at the market conditions, we take a look at that, we think it’s going to engage and sometimes, we don’t always get it right.”
The changes were designed to accommodate the complex’s recent resurgence in usage. Increased patronage has put strain on available space in locker rooms that haven’t been renovated for 30 years.
The plan would have also expanded the rest space near the swirlpool by moving back the north wall.
The project is subject to city council approval in the city’s 2017 budget. If council green-lights the renovation, Broere said it will likely push back the complex's small, cosmetic renovations into 2018.
