Mayor Drew Dilkens says the city is interested in talking with the Greater Essex County District School Board about Windsor Stadium.
The board voted Tuesday to develop a report on the cost of renovating the 90-year-old facility at 2365 McDougall St. next to Jackson Park. It's currently being used by nearby Kennedy high school as a practice field.
Dilkens says about three years ago, the city approached the board about buying the property and transforming it into a community space for sports and incorporating the band shell into it.
He says there were some discussions but talks did not move forward.
"I think there's a great path forward," says Dilkens. "I don't know how many times the city will be in a position to have this conversation moving forward and I suspect the school board doesn't have the funds to make the necessary investment to make that place shine. But parks and recreation is a core business, it's a core function of a city and I'd love the conversation to see if there's a pathway forward."
Windsor Stadium (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)
He says the stadium has a lot to offer.
"I along with so many other folks in Windsor understand the potential that Windsor Stadium has to offer and so because the property is owned by the school board, we have no ability to make these types of investments there, nor would we do that in land and property that we do not own," says Dilkens. "We're not going to make multi-million dollar investments in land that we just don't own."
Dilkens says there is a process if the board decides to sell the property.
It must be offered to all local school boards first before the city can make a bid.
He says three years ago, he called all the other local school boards in the area and they had no interest.
The board report on the cost of renovations is expected to come back before trustees in February 2020.