Rotary Park & Pool ‘Legacy’ project in Oshawa on schedule despite construction delays

A week after concerns were raised on the council floor about the slow pace of construction on the Rotary Park and Pool redevelopment, the City of Oshawa has released a progress report that shows the $25 million project is on schedule.

Construction began in the spring and is reaching construction milestones with the recent installation of the footings for the building foundation. Other completed work includes underground servicing such as watermain, storm and sanitary sewers.

The city released photos showing construction progress and declared that the project schedule continues to target opening day for the summer of 2025.

Council chose the redevelopment of the park as the city’s centennial year Legacy Project and awarded the contract to Maystar General Contractors in January to create the new park at Gibb and Centre Street, just south of downtown.

The project was on the committee floor last week, with Councillor Rosemary McConkey expressing disappointment over delays – “there’s no work going on” – and of the escalating costs that have risen to $25 million from estimates as late as last year that pegged it at $18.8 million.

“If this is not completed by 2025 the city is going to lose a lot of credibility.”

Half of the cost of the project was included in the 2024 budget with $13.78 million for the second phase included in the just released 2025 Mayor’s budget. The city is also hoping to take advantage of a provincial funding stream that could provide half of the costs up to $10 million.

Oshawa voted to apply to the provincial Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund, which is in place to invest in new, “transformative community sport and recreation infrastructure,” including assets that have reached the “end of their lifespan.”

The Rotary Park Redevelopment project will include:

• a new outdoor pool with four lanes, a zero-entry pool area and toddler pool area
• a destination playground
• a splash pad
• a parking lot
• pathways
• site amenities

It only seems like a century since Oshawa residents got to enjoy a dip in Rotary Pool, which was conceived in the 1920s and enjoyed by generations of families until it was closed after the 2019 season due to structural deterioration.

Located at Centre and Gibb Streets, pandemic delays and cost over-runs on the facility have combined to prevent contractors from getting their feet wet until this year on the project, which was the overwhelming first choice (80 per cent) for rebirth in a 2021 survey.

The cost at the time for a new leisure pool, major splash pad and playground amenities was about $8 million.

A lot happened in the ensuing years, with post-pandemic supply chain issues and general inflation driving up the price of all infrastructure projects, with taxpayers now asked to pay triple the original estimate.

Located south of Oshawa’s city centre, the park provides a connection to the Joseph Kolodzie Trail and Brick By Brick Park, and close access to City Hall and downtown destinations and businesses.

To learn more about the project visit Oshawa.ca/RotaryPark