$400K upgrades approved for 7-year-old WFCU Centre
Operating costs will be lowered by $120K a year, city staff says
Windsor's city council voted in favour of spending just over $420,000 on upgrades at the WFCU Centre.
The money would upgrade lighting and be used to make ice plant improvements.
City staff feel the seven-year-old building could operate more efficiently and say the upgrades will help save money in the long run.
Sergio Grando, Windsor's manager of energy initiatives, is proposing an upgrade to the WFCU's ice refrigeration system, and swapping out light bulbs throughout the building to cut down on the heating and hydro bill — a bill that costs the city more than $1 million a year.
"The operating costs that will be lowered are to the tune of $120,000 a year, so that's significant dollars," said Grando.
Councillors still need to approve more than $400,000 for upgrades - which they will take a vote on at Monday night's council meeting.
Councillor Jo-Anne Gignac said it would be money well-spent.
"I would find it hard to believe that our residents would think it was a bad investment," she said.
Similar upgrades were made at the at the Tecumseh arena last summer.
"With the cost of energy going up, to me, it was a no brainier," said Ray Hammond, the manager at the Tecumseh arena.
He said the upgrades at that facility were necessary to keep utility bills down.