Mayor Rob Ford opposes adding showers for cyclists commuting to city hall but he wanted to look at installing a splash pad for kids as part of renovations to Nathan Phillips Square.

Ford has slammed as a complete waste of money plans to park 380 bikes in the underground parking garage and provide a $130,000 change room and $20,000 for three showers.

His brother, Councillor Doug Ford, on Friday warned that the bike station was going to “turn into nothing but a bathhouse,” and: “We’re going to have a towel boy handing over towels. They’re going to have staff there.”

Mayor Ford moved to build the bike parking but cancel the change room and shower. His motion lost and council ended up voting 26-5 for a fully-equipped bike station.

As debate got under way at council’s fourth day of meetings this week, Mayor Ford raised the idea of a Nathan Phillips Square splash pad after seeing kids playing in Edmonton’s city hall fountains on a trip there last August.

“I think you could get a lot of kids here swimming and enjoying Nathan Phillips Square like it should be used,” Ford said, adding kids play in the fountains at Edmonton city hall.

“I just think using it as a splash pad, it would be used a lot,” he said. “It would be fantastic.”

Ford stressed he just wanted a report on the cost, but his idea was immediately slammed by his opponents on council.

Councillor Shelley Carroll facetiously suggested perhaps Parliament Hill could get monkey bars for its front lawn and Councillor Adam Vaughan threw in the idea of a tennis practice court for Queen’s Park.

When the time came to vote on Ford’s motion to get a report on splash pad costs, 16 councillors said yes and 16 said no. Under the rules, a tie vote means the motion was rejected.

Councillor Ford told reporters later that council missed a chance to back a water activity that would draw more people to the square, now under renovation. The city has budgeted $60 million and about $38.4 million has been spent so far with completion scheduled for next year.

“Our pool out in front sits there as a fountain and people stand there and watch it,” Doug Ford said. “So am I in favour of enhancing it, making it for the people, absolutely.”

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