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A divided council cancelled the Hawrelak Park wading pool and splash park Tuesday, saying the over-budget project was not a priority.

“It’s a tough sell when we’re having to trim other parts of the capital budget to help keep the tax increase low,” said Mayor Don Iveson, after the seven-six vote.

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The project — what’s left of former mayor Stephen Mandel’s dream of an urban beach experience — ran into trouble when planners discovered they couldn’t build a big enough facility for the demand within the approved $3.3-million budget. They came back asking for an additional $1.8 million more, which could have been reallocated from a fund dedicated to river valley trails and amenity maintenance.

Several councillors argued for the project, a way to let kids play with water in a popular central park. New Ward 12 Coun. Moe Banga argued council already sunk $800,000, a sixth of the project costs, into designs and redesigns. That money is lost without the project.