Proposal for $3-million skate trail in Orillia melts under budget scrutiny

Any hope of approving a refrigerated skate trail for Orillia’s waterfront melted away amid concerns over cost, as the city aims for a zero per cent tax increase in 2021.

“If you ask anybody in the city if you’d like to have a skate trail in the park, I think probably 99 per cent of them would say yes,” Coun. Mason Ainsworth said.

Asking if it is wise for the city to spend $3.1 million for the feature at Centennial Park “would be a different story,” he argued.

The skate trail was recommended in the city’s Downtown Tomorrow Plan and in a recently completed waterfront parkland design study. Proponents said it would boost use of the waterfront during winter months, while also providing a space for festivals and special events in summer.

The price tag included an addition to the Orillia Waterfront Centre to accommodate a change room and resting area, as well as a small service building to house an ice resurfacer and ice-making equipment.

While councillors during a recent budget committee meeting chose not to fund the project, supporters framed the proposal as an investment in the community.

“This will be an attraction for the future,” Coun. Ted Emond said.

The project would have required $3.15 million in borrowing and a capital tax levy of $30,000 in 2021.

Ray Merkley, director of parks, recreation and culture, said the city is increasingly challenged to maintain outdoor rinks due to fluctuating temperatures.

“It’s probably a six-week period where you can kind of guarantee that we’re going to have some use of them … from early or mid-January through to the end of February,” he said.

A skate trail is comparable in cost to a recently opened West Orillia park that will primarily serve “a few neighbourhoods and for a part of the year,” Mayor Steve Clarke argued.

All decisions at budget committee require ratification at council.