The City of Windsor is going to make sure that city residents are given priority for dock space at Lakeview Marina.
Council has approved a motion from Ward 6 councillor Jo-Anne Gignac to have city administration develop rules for the wait list to give priority to those who live in the city.
The motion came after Windsor resident Gerry Corriveau appeared before council Monday to express frustration over the available dock space at the city-owned marina at 9200 Riverside Dr. E.
Corriveau said he tried to get a boat slip this year but couldn't.
"There are currently 211 returning slip holders, 70 per cent from the City of Windsor, 30 per cent are not. I thought 'didn't we just spend a lot of money on that? Should a citizen who pays taxes be given priority. I was told no, it's not the policy. The policy is first come, first serve," he said.
In 2019, city council approved spending over $3-million to replace and upgrade the docks at the marina, located right where the Detroit River meets Lake St. Clair.
The marina has 225 total slips and all available slips are currently full or have been offered to people on their respective wait lists, based on the slip length.
According to city officials, there are 211 returning slip holders this season.
While wait lists can change daily, there are now 90 names on the 25-foot slip wait list.
Lakeview Park Marina, Windsor, Ont. (Photo courtesy of City of Windsor)
Corriveau told council we're missing the boat by not saying it's for City of Windsor residents.
"Not a real big deal. I'm sorry Mr. LaSalle resident, Mr. Tecumseh resident or Lakeshore now, you're going to have to go on list 2, not list 1," he said. "Additionally, we're not charging those people any additional funds to utilize facilities that come directly out of our tax dollars."
Corriveau said citizens of this community, citizens who pay for this community, should be given priority.
"I'm not against people who live to the east or to the west, if they're community wants to pay for and build a marina, by all means. You can build it, you can pay for it and you can put restrictions on it," he added.
Council has also asked that administration develop a report on the feasibility of establishing a differential fee structure for Windsor residents and non-Windsor residents when it comes all city-owned facilities.
The Adventure Bay Water Park already has a differential pricing fee structure in place for Windsor and non-Windsor residents.