The future of the Jackson Park Bandshell was the focus of a pair of public information sessions on Thursday.
A steady stream of people made their way through the displays set up by the City of Windsor at the Optimist Community Centre on Ypres Avenue.
City officials are looking for feedback from the public on what to do with the bandshell, and the public information sessions provided an opportunity for folks to give feedback and share their vision for its future.
A narrow vote by city council back in the fall allowed a plan to move forward to consult the public and study the project, with the cost expected to be around $100,000.
The land in front of the band shell is owned by the Greater Essex County District School Board.
Dr. Russ Macklem, a local musician and educator, was among those in attendance at the evening session.
He says given its rich history he'd like to see it restored, which could help establish better ties between Windsor and Detroit.
"I would love to see it as part of a greater effort of reaching across the border again, and sort of re-establishing that relationship that I think we once had with the City of Detroit. Sort of a better cultural relationship, I don't really see that much happening in terms of much of a cultural exchange."
Macklem says it's a very significant part of the local history, and he's examined it from a musical lens many times.
"And it's acoustically an amazing space actually, it was of course designed before amplification had taken hold. So it had to be able to project to an audience, and again I'm a trumpet player and I went up there and played, and it's like man it'd be fun to play up here."
Kathy McKay, a member of Unifor Local 444, was another of those in attendance.
She had only heard about the information session earlier in the day, and wanted to come check out what was on display.
"Let's face it, we have very little recognition of a lot of the history in Windsor. It's time to preserve that, but we also have to look at the possibility of making it accessible to all. The washrooms are not negotiable, I don't know what the budget is for this and I'd like to know what the challenges are. I think it's absolutely important that we we make it a place for people of all walks of life to do to."
McKay says she'd like to see the bandshell become a place the whole community can be proud to go to.
"It shouldn't be a monument in my opinion, it should be something that should be used. If we have a facility to the community, we need more of those spaces for our kids, our seniors, and for people just to have a good time. We're a shift working town, we're a hard working town, so the more places we can go to celebrate our families and our communities the better."
Ryan Richardson lives by the Caboto Club and has a local podcast that focuses on things happening in Windsor.
He says the discussion about either rebuilding or restoring the bandshell comes up quite often.
"I mean every time I'm in Jackson Park I'm always there looking and taking pictures. The history behind it, Martin Luther King Jr. speaking there, so many different musical acts, there's such a great rich black history that happened in that bandshell. I think we need to seriously look at what we're going to do with it instead of it just sitting there being an eyesore."
Richardson says he'd love to see the bandshell restored, because it's a shame its in the disrepair that it's been allowed to stay in for all these years.
"I have a friend in Michigan who is the mayor of a city, and they have a similar bandshell. They've been able to revitalize it, bring in concerts, bring in events that get the community out. He does them on Wednesdays, it's a free event for the community throughout the summer. I always go to his events in Wayne, Michigan and think why can't we do that at Jackson Park? Why couldn't we do that at the old bandshell?"
For those who didn't have a chance to make it out to either of the information sessions on Thursday, there's also an online public survey available to complete until Sunday, June 23.