Kitchener's Victoria Park Boathouse closes, future under review

The Victoria Park Boathouse will be closed as of Thursday, and City of Kitchener staff say they'll take some time to review the future of the facility before seeking a new tenant.

No reason for the closure was immediately given.

The Boathouse is owned by the city and is leased out to an operator. The site has had the same tenant for the past five years. CBC reached out to the people who run The Boathouse, and they declined to comment.

Brian Bennett, the city's manager of business development, said anyone interested in taking over the facility "should watch for details from us before the end of the year."

Bennett said the city received word earlier this month from the operator that they would not keep The Boathouse open past the month of October.

He says the city has no plans to divest itself of the facility, calling it "a great city asset that compliments Victoria Park."

They will be creating a new terms of reference that the next operator would need to adhere to. He said the plan is to seek a new operator before the end of 2019 with the hopes The Boathouse would reopen in spring 2020.

This isn't the first time the Boathouse has closed abruptly.

In September 2013, the restaurant and music venue closed after falling behind on rent and utility payments.

After several bidders, including alocal musician, the Boathouse reopened in January 2015 although it did not initially have a liquor license.