Welland city council met on the night of September 15th, 2020 and approved releasing another request for proposals (RFP) to operate a facility in the city’s north end. Welland’s waterpark was to open on July, 2021. Ward 3 Councilor John Chiocchio, a proponent of more activities on the Welland Recreational Canal, asked if staff had investigated the city operating a waterpark on its own. Dan Degazio, Welland’s general manager of economic development and recreation said, “The idea has been explored in the past and that purchasing the equipment alone would cost taxpayers between $300,000 and $500,000. Staffing would see 10 to 15 people needed to operate the facility. The costs could be quite extensive. It’s out of our realm to do this, that’s why we looked at an outside agency.” The idea of using city-owned Wibits - akin to inflatable playground equipment - was floated during the meeting, which they could be used as a temporary park. Ward 4 Councilor Bryan Green supported a new RFP being released by the city and wondered if there was anything that could be done differently to entice new bids. (2020/11/05)