KAMLOOPS — An effort to save the McDonald Park pool has come up empty.
North Shore residents gathered at city hall today, imploring council to reverse last week’s decision to transform the pool into a wading pool and spray park.
Among them was Michelle Piluk.
“I just don’t understand why they want to take away something we all love and put something there that we don’t want,” said Piluk. “Our taxes are going up, and where are our dollars going?”
“A lot of people in that area walk there, they bike ride there, we have Music in the Park there, we meet people there. That’s our backyard,” said Piluk.
Councillor Donovan Cavers brought the issue forward for reconsideration, but council voted 5-3 to affirm its earlier decision.
Mayor Peter Milobar says no one can say city hall is abandoning the McDonald Park neighbourhood.
“We have put literally millions of dollars into that McDonald Park neighbourhood over the last 10 to 12 years to bring up road standards, sidewalks, safe access points to the park, the bandshell,” said Milobar. “The motion we passed last week was to spend a half-million dollars instead of $200,000 in that park.”
Councillor Arjun Singh said in the grand scheme, the pools in Brocklehurst and Westsyde are not that far from the North Shore.
