After a few twists and turns Winnipeg is now one step closer to getting what some are calling a world class waterpark.
The Executive Policy Committee will be told on Wednesday that Leo Ledohowski's Canad Inns should get the bid.
The city will kick in $7 million towards the $56 million project that will be built at the Canada Inns hotel near Polo Park.
"It's long overdue," said Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz. "They can move very quickly, and as you probably recall I want to see this waterpark in my lifetime," said Katz. "I think it's time our children have that opportunity. They can move quickly. We can start construction on time and get it done."
The last time Ledohowski was talking waterpark it was in connection with a $250 million proposal to build a football stadium on the former Canada Packers' site in St. Boniface.
He was unavailable for comment today, but did say in a release that, "we have proposed a world-class facility..."
This proposal, while smaller, will see Canad Inns build an additional 100-room hotel to go along with a 70-thousand square-foot indoor-outdoor water park featuring a wave pool, lazy river, and inner tube slides.
The public money was originally slated for an urban oasis in Kildonan Park. Improvements have been scaled down for the park and the left-over money the city had designated for the park will now go toward the waterpark.
Five proposals submitted
There were a total of five proposals submitted to city council.
Leo Ledohowski submitted one, three were from David Asper's company, Creswin Properties, and another proposal was from Prairie Ocean Experience Group.
Three of the proposals made it onto a short list, including two of David Asper's plans, but the city is recommending that the Canad Inns proposal get the go-ahead because it could be up and running by the end of November, 2009.
The city would have preferred a waterpark be built downtown, but this proposal met most of the criteria the city was looking for, according to city councillor Russ Wyatt, who sits on the Downtown Development Committee.
"Part of the challenge to is to ensure you have someone with a proven track record, someone who knows how to operate waterparks, knows how to build them, and clearly this individual certainly has that experience," said Wyatt.
Public access part of the plan: Katz
Even though Canad Inns will own the park, there will be regular public access, according to Katz. "There certainly will be regular public access at reasonable prices, which is what it was all about," he said. "We want as many children to experience this as possible."
With a report from CTV's Kelly Dehn.
