Watering of the flower planter boxes in the downtown will be up to the businesses now.
The City of Windsor generously agreed to source and supple the planter boxes and materials, install and remove them at the end of the season, and assist the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association members in watering their flower boxes and planters.
The city has informed the DWBIA that they will no longer be providing the watering services despite it only being halfway through the year.
The city offered to provide the watering services for the remainder of the season for an excess fee of over $17,000. However, this amount is not in the DWBIA's current year budget.
In prior years, the DWBIA funded 50 percent of the cost of flower planter boxes, while members in the downtown who wanted the flowers were responsible for the remaining 50 percent.
Starting July 8, the responsibility and cost of watering the flower boxes and planters now rests with the members of the businesses who purchased them.
Pat Papadeas, Vice-Chair of the Downtown Windsor BIA, says the BIA has reached out to the business about keeping up with the watering for the remainder of the year.
"We've asked all the businesses, and we have great members, to make sure that the flowers get watered," she continues. "Some of the issues are that some of the businesses are not open seven days a week, or are only open weekends, so that's just a lot harder that we're concerned there won't be consistency in the watering."
She says the BIA and the city want the same things for the downtown, but the communication seems to be lacking.
"It's disappointing that something so simple, and so easy, is not something that we can find agreement on in a way that brings all parties together to work towards the common goal, I mean to me, it seems like a disconnect."
Papadeas says she wishes that the city had come to the BIA sooner to discuss a route of action.
"Had we reworked the program, or had there been at least some heads up about going forward, we're going to have to take a look at this and have another conversation, then that would be different. But to really change the program, midway through, I think is really what's most concerning for us."
The Downtown Windsor BIA will have a new board going into 2023.
The decision and conversations regarding the watering of the flower boxes and planters will be up to the new board.