From: Rusty “Scoops” McGraw, thenorthbaybay.ca staff
NORTH BAY — In a move to promote fiscal municipal spending, North Bay City Council has moved on from the development of the Twin Ice Pad complex in West Ferris in favour of a five-kilometer out door ice rink on Lakeshore Drive.
The announcement of a $30 million Twin Ice Pad Complex was met with mixed reactions recently as the high bill on the project left residents wary – even provoking a rival engineering firm to write a letter to the editor. The city, ultimately decided to cut out the middle-man and went forward with converting Lakeshore Drive into a four-lane ice rink.
Vic Tikus took the opportunity to meet with The North Bay Bay to discuss the decision.
“Why mess with nature?” began Tikus, “we’re saving the city $30 million dollars by just letting winter do its thing. We now have five kilometers worth of ice rink all across West Ferris!”
“Ottawa has the Rideau River in the winter, and now we have Lakeshore Drive baybeee.”
When we asked Vic about whether icing the heavily used road would become a safety concern, Vic spit out his coffee.
“People actually live in West Ferris? Why would anyone do that?!”
West Ferris Economic Development Committee Responds
A very tired looking Jeremy Jonah from the West Ferris Economic Development Committee responded to the sudden conversion of Lakeshore Drive to an outdoor rink.
“Why? WHY? We just wanted a community center! Is that really so hard? I can’t even drive to work anymore. I’ve resorted to strapping on skates and having my husky pull me across Ferris.”
Jonah sighs.
“At least they filled the potholes with snow. Small victories.”
The city is exploring the feasibility of placing a bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics, citing their now Olympic-sized speed-skating runway in Ferris. The $30 million from the now cancelled Twin Ice Pad project is expected to be diverted into the Olympics campaign.