Residents can now get a workout outdoors at Windsor’s Gateway Park following the completion of a new fitness area in the city’s west end.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday to mark the opening of the new equipment at the park, located at 1271 Riverside Drive West, between Riverside Drive West and University Avenue West.
The fitness area includes outdoor exercise equipment that can accommodate up to nine people at a time, with options aimed at improving strength, balance, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness.
The project was funded through ward 2 funds, with support from former councillor Fabio Costante and current councillor Frazier Fathers.
The Kal Tire RePlay Fund also contributed to the project, helping offset the cost of the recycled rubber surfacing. The program supports community projects that use recycled rubber products made from Canadian scrap tires.
Councillor Fathers says it’s a kilometre-long rail cut that goes all the way from Wyandotte to the riverfront.
“The idea is really to activate this space and draw people to the river and folks who are on the river, we’ll get some signage down there at some point soon hopefully, pointing them up here and draw them off the riverfront trail... not that there’s anything wrong with the riverfront trail but just bring them into a park that you may not have thought about, you may not have considered. And it’s just a little piece of green space running up and down the middle of the city.”
He says former councillor Costante kick-started this, but they couldn’t have done it without Kal Tire stepping up.
“They came to me and said, ‘do you want to still do this or not?’ And so I said, ‘this is great, let’s do it.’ And then Kal Tire came through, this may not have been exactly how you see it had Kal Tire not come through because we’re sort of at the top end of the budget, but they sort of covered the rubberized base there, and so that created some savings that allowed an extra piece of equipment to be added in, some things like that.”
Fathers says this was really the final touch for this stage.
“I think part of the conversation is about potentially what else could be in there. There are some challenges down at Gateway Park. There’s been some species at risk found down there. So sections aren’t as mowed as maybe folks would like to see and a little overgrown, stuff like that. So we’re monitoring those things. I do think there’s opportunity for some additional, whether it’s public art or any other opportunities along here.”
The city said the fitness area complements Gateway Park’s existing recreational amenities while expanding access to free outdoor recreation.
The project was included in Windsor’s 2026 budget, which includes more than $317-million in capital investments this year, including $29.2-million for community services such as parks, recreation, facilities and culture.