New City Hall Progress Report

Work is continuing on Eddie Francis Square, the location of Windsor's new City Hall.

As you can tell from the advertisement run in Saturday's Star, a Transportation study is underway to see what the traffic effect will be on the new Casino and 400 City Hall Square especially after the Tunnel Plaza Improvements are completed. Clearly that will impact the exact location where the City Hall will be built.

Remember I showed you before the "golden triangle" linking the Casino, 400 City Hall Square and the new City Hall. I have always assumed that the Barn will be torn down.

It's not designated as Heritage even though Councillor Halberstadt wants to do so. Designating it as "heritage" such as that given to the Tunnel Ventilation building, would cause all kinds of headaches. As the Councilor said

• "Halberstadt said though there are no plans to tear down the building, heritage designation would "cement" Windsor Arena's future. "

As I see the Barn's future, it is in cement all right--cement shoes to the bottom of the Detroit River! It will be a casualty to a demolition ball.

Now the Glengarry Housing project will also have to be torn down to make a sweeping new vista for the City Hall, a grand plaza as in Toronto. It will be a "signature" area to signify the re-birth of our new downtown as well. This new downtown will be furhter east of our exisitng downtown, the kiddie bar area, notwithstanding Mark Boscariol's protestations.

Moreover, it will be redevelopment in Ward 3. The area needs it badly. As the police recently said:

• "We have some very unique policing issues in this city with the American (visitors) that come downtown on the weekends and some of the downtown housing projects like Glengarry,"

Sure things are getting better there, but seriously, can you imagine allowing a crime area right beside the Square?

• "Once the domain of hookers and drug dealers, Glengarry Court [public housing project] is cleaning up.
  
  The area has seen a "significant" reduction in crime since residents staged a protest at city hall about two years ago...
  
  Mayor Eddie Francis took note of the situation and the city joined the Windsor Housing Corporation in vowing to help rid the complex of drugs, prostitutes and crime. A security guard and security cameras were introduced. Enwin Utilities installed 38 street lights to make residents feel safer at night. Casino Windsor donated computers and money to help refurbish a library in one of the buildings. It has also agreed to allow police officers assigned to patrol its premises to attend to trouble in Glengarry Court."

Don't worry, the people who will be moved from there will have a new home, in Ward 2, right beside the funky bus terminal. They will be the main users of Transit Windsor so why not make it convenient for them to catch the bus. It will provide "quick and easy access for people who depend on public transportation" as Mr. Fahri said about his $40 million condominium building being beside the terminal.

Frankly, it would not surprise me to see Mr. Farhi build the new City Hall too. He has experience in working with Governments in London and in Windsor already: 2400 Ouellette Ave. The Company has experience in housing "three levels of government, Federal, Provincial and Municipal" including a "a 70,000 square foot free-standing design-build federal government building."

So far, so good. No one has yet figured out what is really going on except for readers of this BLOGsite. And don't worry, after the arena is paid off in 2010, we will still have torrents of money coming in to pay for this monumnet to ego too!

Watch for new Progress Reports as they happen