Plans to renovate the Memorial Park pool in Welland are on hold again.
The city says they missed out on a federal grant after all the bids to do the work came in over budget.
The city started a bid process for the pool back in May in hopes of being awarded the Green and Inclusive Community Building grant which would have paid for 60 percent of the project.
Rob Axiak, director of community services says, "Staff will look to maintain the current pool to stay open for the public until we can secure the necessary funding for the revitalization. This project continues to remain a top priority for the City."
The project was originally set to start in 2021 but was put on hold to try for the grant which could have covered $3,840,000 of the original budget of $6.4 million.
Staff say that the pool can operate for an additional season in 2023 if needed and require minimal repairs.
Memorial Park pool was built in the late 1950's and remains Welland's busiest outdoor public pool, attracting over 14,500 visits during the 2019 season.