Council moving forward with reimagined Adie Knox Rec. Complex project

Windsor City Council is moving ahead with a multi-million dollar Reimagined Adie Knox Herman Recreation Complex project, which includes closing the pool at the community centre.

During Monday's meeting, Council approved spending $29-million to cover the cost of Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the project.

The decision includes pulling $9-million from a project to improve University Avenue and Victoria Avenue in order to cover the cost of items in Phase 2.

The move was made after the City's $13.5-million grant application to the Green and Inclusive Community Building program was rejected by the federal government, funding that would have resulted in a $42-million investment at the site, if the application had been approved.

The City had set aside $9-million from the University Avenue project as a placeholder in order to meet requirements in the grant application, but decided to use that funding anyway for the Adie Knox project, even though the grant had been rejected.

The money for the University Avenue project will now be added to the 2023 budget process.

Councillors Rino Bortolin, Chris Holt and Fred Francis opposed the motion to move ahead using money from the University Avenue project.

Bortolin says he voted against it because he feels the entire process was flawed.

"I think it veered off the rails quite a bit, going into different directions," he says. "People, it was loud and clear, they wanted to keep the pool there. They weren't interested as much in these other amenities."

Bortolin says there are a lot of issues with this.

"Namely we are closing the pool against the wishes, overwhelmingly, of the residents in the area and the users of that community space. As we move forward, we can't just pretend that this is a great investment and they should like it, it's that simple," he says.

Bortolin says the University Avenue project also now has just $6-million to start.

"Until we actually get moving on it and actualize it, and pay for it, we're never going to actually see work done," he says. "What we did was now set it back at least year or two minimum, because $9-million is quite a lot. It's not just something you find in the Capital budget easily as you go into budget sessions."

The reimangined Adie Knox project will include a new gymnasium, change rooms, new multi purpose rooms, outdoor tennis and basketball courts. indoor and outdoor walking trails, arena upgrades and seating.

The community pool will also be closed with residents being offered use of the new pool at the Toldo Lancer Centre at the University of Windsor.

With files from Rob Hindi