Mayor: City will 'scale back' $3M Jackson Park lights project following floods
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said council will revisit the decision to install a multi-million-dollar Christmas display in Jackson Park -- a decision that was made just hours before thousands of basements flooded across the city.
Dilkens made the comments at the start of Tuesday's council meeting - eight days after he cast the deciding vote that green lit the project he presented to council.
Dilkens said the city will "scale back" and "phase-in" the Jackson Park display, which was expected to cost $3-million.
He did not offer any other details on how that would be changed other than saying "the timing couldn't have been any worse" in approving the project.
Later while speaking with reporters he suggested that council could keep the project to $1.5-million by limiting spending to money from Enwin and the OLG.
NEW: City could "scale back" Jackson Park holiday lights, possibly cut $3M funding in half. <a href="https://t.co/kf4tOjxl0J">https://t.co/kf4tOjxl0J</a> <a href="https://t.co/gw91SqYpXU">pic.twitter.com/gw91SqYpXU</a>
—@ChrisEnsingCBCIn a report filed to council ahead of last week's meeting staff suggested the funding come from:
- $1,000,000 from 2017 Enwin special dividend
- $400,000 from the Windsor World Junior Hockey bid placeholder
- $500,000 anticipated surplus from 2017 OLG funding
- $1,100,000 from 2014 enhanced capital budget placeholder funding for new city hall parking garage