City Budget Could See Improved Services In City Parks

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City of Windsor Parks Administration is looking to improve services in the city’s parks in the upcoming budget with several enhancement proposed.  City Council will debate the 2019 budget on April 1st and 2nd.

Park Benches:

The city says that there is a significant amount of the 1,500 benches in city parks that are well beyond their useful life. The department is recommending that a budget is established for the replacement of 150 benches per year which average $350 per bench for a total budget of $52,500.

This would allow for the current inventory of benches to be replaced over a ten-year period.

Sports Courts:

The Parks department is also looking to increase the maintenance of city owned tennis and basketball courts. Historically, parks has been provided with a budget for replacing the nets and re-painting the lines, but there has been no specific budget for surface repairs and maintenance.

Over time, the sports courts have developed large cracks with weeds growing that needs to be addressed prior to further deterioration of the surface.

Proposed funding of $25,000 per year would allow for the surface repairs of one court per year.

Trails:

The City of Windsor has 131 km of asphalted trails and multiple stone trails.  It is estimated that 80% of existing trails are in need of significant repairs as capital budget funding in past years has only addressed replacement of trails which are beyond their useful lives or need to be addressed as part of another capital project improvement.

A proposed annual maintenance budget of $100,000 will allow the Parks department to begin to adopt strong asset management principles to ensure that the expected useful life of trails is being optimized and any deficiencies are being addressed to protect the public from any safety concerns.

This annual maintenance budget will allow administration  to prioritize trails that need immediate maintenance.