The city has moved to not cut grass in 22 parks, letting them naturalize in some areas.
James Chacko, executive director of Park and Facilities, told CTV Windsor that the city is going through a trial-and-error process as there are different ways of naturalizing them.
They are going to cut along the fence lines and ensure access to the parks through the naturalized areas.
Speaking on AM800's Mornings with Mike and Meg, mayor Drew Dilkens said the decision was made during budget deliberations.
"Council did discuss a number of parks in the city, and it wasn't a wholesale list, it's not naturalizing every park, it's taking some of the parks that we have that are underutilized and letting portions of those parks naturalize," Dilkens said.
Dilkens said this isn't the first time the city has let parks naturalize.
"I remember in the strike in 2009 when grass wasn't being cut, overwhelmingly residents said oh my gosh, it's so beautiful seeing parks naturalize, and so the next year we changed the service level, and they said no we want to see the parks cut," he said.
Dilkens said the move to let portions of parks naturalize has resulted in a savings in the 2025 budget.
"A minor budget savings I'll tell ya, but now we're letting that and we're getting opinions on both sides, where some residents are saying why aren't you maintaining the park, and others are saying 'gosh, I really like the portion that you're letting naturalize, it looks really nice'," Dilkens said.
"When comparing the 2024 and 2025 budgets, Windsor residents will see a cost savings of $465,000 in the grass cutting budget. This reflects a more efficient allocation of resources while maintaining service levels across the city," said Michael Janisse, senior manager, communications, public relations and customer service, in a statement to AM800 News.
The city says not all 22 parks are perfect right now.
If you have any issues like unfinished trails or unkept naturalized areas that abut your property, you are encouraged to call 311 to let the city know.
-with files from CTV Windsor's Bob Bellacicco