A proposal to build an outdoor skating rink at Riverside Park has been put on ice, at least until next year.

It would’ve meant spending an extra $1-million in next year’s budget.

Council did approve new spending in Riverside Park for next year, as the spray park and washroom next to the park will be replaced at a cost of $3.25 million. The city says it already has $1.75 million budgeted for the work, and the decision by council on Tuesday will add $1.5 million in spending next year to be paid through taxation.

Councillor Mike O’Reilly said that decision came down to asset management.

“That building’s very old, and we need to continue to invest in our park if we want it to stay the park that it is, as the crown jewel of the city… And making the proper investment now without the flashy, nice-to-haves but making the key investment that needs to be done today.”

If the skating rink were included in the plan, the work would’ve meant spending an extra $1.05 million in next year’s budget, meaning an extra $2.55 million in new spending next year altogether.

“Frankly, I don’t see the public having an appetite to come up with another $2.5 million for something that maybe is more of a nice to have, maybe, then a need-to-have,” councillor Dieter Dudy said.

The vote was 6-2 to allow the spray park and washroom upgrades to go ahead next year. Councillor Denis Walsh and mayor Ken Christian were opposed, while councillor Arjun Singh was absent.

Walsh said he wanted to wait until the winter to see what other spending might be proposed in next year’s budget, through supplemental budget items.

“I’m just having trouble making this decision because of the fact that it looks like we’re going to have a challenging year ahead of us. Budget-wise, tax-wise. This nice-to-have comment versus priorities, I think unless we see all of this stuff in one place, accumulated, then we can make the proper decisions based on priorities.”

The city applied twice for a grant of $4.2-million for the work in Riverside Park, which would’ve covered capital costs of the skating rink, but the application was denied both times.

There is potential for a skating rink to be built at a later date; as part of the $3.25 million approved for Riverside Park upgrades, the new spray park surface will have “brine lines” in its concrete pad, which would be needed if a rink were built in the future.

On Tuesday, council also approved spending $1.85 million next year for flood mitigation work through Riverside Park. Part of that project, $750,000, will be covered through grant funding that was previously approved.