‘Massive Investment’ Confirmed For Adie Knox – Incredible Feeling, Says Ward 2’s Costante

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City officials promised Wednesday that regardless of what happens to a $ 13.7 million federal grant application, the ambitious and costly plan to “empower” the Adie Knox Recreation Complex into a far west community center will become in a reality.

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“I never thought in my wildest dreams that we would see an investment of this magnitude in the West End,” Ward 2 Coun. Fabio Costante said during a press conference, held to highlight the Adie Knox project (which costs $ 42 million if the grant is obtained) as one of the shining stars in the proposed 2022 budget.

Having grown up just blocks from the Wyandotte Street West landmark, Costante said she has “amazing memories” of using Adie Knox.

“I look at the building and it’s nostalgic for me, but now as a councilor I know I played a role alongside others in driving this massive investment to reimagine Adie Knox for the next generation of kids,” he said. “And that’s an incredible feeling.”

The Council approved the project in the summer, committing up to $ 29 million in the hope that the federal government will contribute the remainder of its Green and Inclusive Community Building Fund. It is not yet known if the grant will be approved. But Mayor Drew Dilkens said there is $ 20 million over seven years allocated in the 2022 10-year capital budget for Adie Knox. Up to $ 29 million could be spent over the next decade, according to the city.

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“Regardless of the outcome of our request that we continue to recommend, we remain committed to undertaking the renovation of this facility,” said the Mayor.

“The City Council’s investment here will enhance this recreational complex by modernizing the existing building, adding new facilities such as a full-size gym, multi-purpose room for specialized classes and programming, and a gym. And the reinvented Adie Knox will also have an (outdoor) basketball court, pickleball and tennis courts, a paddling-access children’s play area and a walking path. “

The mayor explained that in order to receive funding from the government, the city would have to make Adie Knox reinvent itself extremely energy-efficient and green, more than any building in the city’s inventory. If the grant doesn’t happen, the city could still move forward with all the promised amenities except for these green efficiencies, he said. He noted that during the recent federal election campaign, candidates from all major parties endorsed the city’s Windsor Platform 4, a priority list the city cited as its highest priorities. Funding for Adie Knox was one of those priorities.

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“Now is the time for our elected federal officials to deliver on that promise,” Dilkens said.

The accessible playground and splash pad that are part of the Adie Knox revitalization are expected to be installed next year at a cost of around $ 800,000. Dilkens said that by the time the public consultations, drawings and bidding are completed, it will be 2023 before the shovels hit the ground for the remainder of the project. The city’s Recreation Master Plan calls for not only additional recreational amenities, such as an art room, family gathering area, program rooms, and an indoor walking path, but also space for community groups that offer a “very wide range. necessary of social and health services “.

“The improvements will allow for a significant increase in community usage and programming for residents in the Far West and throughout the city,” reads a city news release.

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The only part of this reinvention that was controversial is the planned closure of the Adie Knox pool, a facility that, although currently closed due to the pandemic, has been well used by a group of loyal swimmers who formed Friends of Adie Knox to oppose. to repeated threats over the years to shut it down. The pool programs will be transferred to a pool being built 1.5 kilometers away at the new Lancer Center at the University of Windsor, under an agreement that involves the city paying $ 3 million upfront plus $ 200,000 annually for the use of the pool. That pool is supposed to open in July.

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Costante said the Adie Knox project answers the call for new investment in the West End. When he ran for council in 2018, he campaigned to bring a community center back to the neighborhood, after the College Avenue Community Center was closed in 2011 as part of the criticized streamlining plan to close several smaller facilities. to help offset the operating costs of a new downtown aquatic center.

“This is a multi-generational investment that will serve all residents – young people, newcomers, students, families, seniors – in the West End and throughout the community,” said Costante.

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