Hamilton’s Wild Waterworks will remain closed for a second straight summer because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The public works committee has confirmed that decision in a unanimous vote, based on advice from the Hamilton Conservation Authority, which operates the attraction on the city’s behalf.
With no foreseeable date in sight for when waterparks will be allowed to return to normal operations, Ward 5 Coun. Chad Collins described it as a “pretty easy” decision.
“We’re just not there with the vaccine levels yet,” said Collins. “By extension, there’s little public confidence in returning to facilities like Wild Waterworks.”
Burnside told councillors that it will cost an estimated $294,000 to shutter the waterpark for the summer.
The city hopes to offset that loss by using pandemic-related funding that it receives from the federal and provincial governments.
By comparison, Burnside added that this summer’s projected losses would be estimated at $865,000, if the waterpark was allowed to open for the summer months and operate at 25 per cent capacity.
In a similar approach to the summer of 2020, she says staff will take advantage of the closure to complete some needed maintenance and repairs.
Burnside says that will include “replacement of worn pool tiles” and “resurfacing and painting of the tube slides that are visible from the QEW.”
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