‘My head’s about to explode over this one:’ Brockville General Committee weighs cost of new additions to Reynold’s Park rehabilitation project
The price tag for Brockville’s long-awaited Reynolds Park boardwalk and pavilion is growing again, prompting councillors to pump the brakes on two proposed additions.
Two new optional aesthetic additions proposed for the long-awaited new boardwalk and pavilion at Reynolds Park will require a little more budgetary deliberation before moving ahead. At the meeting of Brockville’s General Committee on Tuesday, July 22, 2026, councilors expressed concerns about the high costs of the project to date, urging city staff to negotiate for more cost-effective solutions.
Located in downtown Brockville along the St. Lawrence River on Water Street East, Reynolds Park has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, evolving from a former industrial site into an evolving waterfront tourism destination.
According to the City of Brockville, the redevelopment first began in 2022 following extensive public consultation and earlier phases included a new roundabout entrance, parking area, improved pedestrian path and extensions to the Brock Trail.
The boardwalk and pavilion were originally designed and tendered in 2025, resulting in submissions ranging between $1.2 to $1.4 million. “As a result of the tender results exceeding the approved budget and projected cost, staff cancelled the public tender and paused the project to reassess the design for potential savings,” the staff report outlines.
With the revised design completed in early 2026, staff re-tendered the project in May 2026 and the base project scope was awarded to Kehoe Marine Construction Ltd. in June 2026.
The latest phase of construction involves the addition of two new signature features, a waterfront boardwalk and large covered pavilion, which the city hopes will provide a unique gathering space along the waterfront to enhance public access to the St. Lawrence River.
The latest design presented by the Kehoe Marine Construction Ltd. requires an $83,100 in additional project expenses to include two new “optional items;” a large roof mounted “Brockville Ontario” sign and solar powered light system in the pavilion.
The solar lighting option was projected at a cost of $76,000 with an added expense of $12,000 for the “Brockville” sign.
The Reynolds Park rehabilitation project has already reached a total cost of $789,000, drawing added concern from committee members after hearing these new figures.
“I don’t agree that solar is the best idea here,” said Councillor Deery. “$76,000 to put a solar system in what was already a $789,000 pavilion… My head’s about to explode over this one.”
Councillor Deery referred to the proposed numbers for solar lighting as “a joke,” adding, “I don’t care if you’re lighting every inch of it. This is not the the most cost effective method, and you can get much better lighting, more reliable lighting, and solar lighting isn’t the most reliable.”
Deery echoed Mayor Matt Wren’s opening recommendation to take the matter back to the staff for further delegation. “We need to come up with a good plan, something that’s going to be more reasonable that the community can appreciate,” he concluded, “We’ve got to do better.”
Councillor Wales spoke next saying he is concerned about the price as well but and unsure, realistically, of how much cheaper the other recommendations are going to be in comparison. “When I look at the total project cost of being over $750,000 yeah, it’s pretty pretty significant,” he said.
Ultimately, the committee opted to refer the project back to city staff to look into more cost-effective lighting solutions and to consider using electrical power for future event needs.