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A city councillor’s push to add an accessible lift to the water slides at Regina’s Wascana Pool may be finalised after a last-ditch attempt to find a cheaper solution failed.

The administration announced earlier this week that a request for proposals initiated by Councilwoman Terina Nelson (Ward 7) had closed and no offers had been received from contractors willing to take on the project.

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Nelson successfully persuaded the city council this spring to set aside $175,000 from the Adapted Recreation Plan (ADP) as a base budget, to be replaced with public funds if a developer could be found.

The RFP was issued on May 17 and was extended to July 17 at the request of some interested parties due to the “complexity of the project.”

However, no one submitted an application before the RFP deadline expired.

Due to a lack of interested developers, the elevator project cannot be pushed forward in 2024 and 2025, according to a statement from the city administration.

“The water slide has been close to my heart for a very long time and I fought really hard for it,” Nelson said, expressing her disappointment with the outcome.

Feedback suggested the budget was too low and there were too many uncertainties about whether the project would move forward. These concerns echoed warnings from city staff when Nelson insisted on a competitive bid in April.

The administration is now recommending that the city council reallocate the funds to the leisure budget for 2024 and 2025.

If the City Council approves it next week, it will mark the end of Nelson’s months-long campaign to get the elevator idea off the ground.

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The City Council had originally approved the use of $500,000 to install an elevator in 2022, but changed its direction when The administration returned to the budget deadline with costs of nearly $1 million.

Nelson then pushed for an open bidding process to determine a lower price, joking that public funders had approached her and were willing to fund part of the project if the city contributed a portion.

Nelson finally conceded that he would not accept the $175,000 offer and voted in unison with the rest of the executive committee on Wednesday. But not before making another suggestion.

She requested that $75,000 be diverted to the Regina Senior Citizens’ Centre (RSCC) as emergency funding for urgent operational needs.

Lynda Schofield, RSCC board chair, explained that the senior program is struggling to recover post-COVID. The board is working on long-term solutions, but there is a need for “short-term stability,” she said.

“I just want this money to go somewhere where it can reach a lot of wonderful people and help them. That was my reasoning,” Nelson said.

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“I think this is a win-win situation for the 1,035 members of the senior center, who can breathe a sigh of relief.”

The center’s fees have increased three times since 2021 and members are donating, Schofield said, but the capacity to do more is limited because many seniors live on fixed incomes.

“We have some support,” Schofield said. “Please don’t think we’re satisfied with that. We’re doing what we can. We can’t ask our members to pay more for it.”

RSCC receives 30 percent of its current funding from the city, but the amount of that grant hasn’t changed in 20 years, Schofield said. She indicated RSCC will likely apply again for a larger base grant when it comes to budgeting to keep programs running.

“The Bank of Canada says the cost of goods and services has increased by 69 per cent, and that is certainly reflected in our spending,” she said. “What we absolutely need from year to year is that 69 per cent increase.”

Nelson’s request was ultimately rejected, but administration promised to look for another source to provide emergency funding for the RSCC by next week’s council meeting.

The city council will discuss final approval on August 21.

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