Windsor's historic west end will soon have its own gateway.
Windsor City Council unanimously approved Monday night a motion to award a $303,000 contract to a firm which will design and build a decorative arch across Sandwich St. The plan was approved by council's planning, heritage and economic development standing committee last week.
The arch, once completed, will span Sandwich St between McKee Park and Paterson Park, just beyond a roundabout that is currently under construction at Sandwich St. and University Ave. W.
The arch will be designed and built by Facca Incorporated.
Ward 2 Councillor John Elliott, whose district includes Sandwich Towne, is excited about the structure going up and he says things have been looking up for the historic district.
"You couldn't ask for a grander entrance coming in," says Elliott. "It's a long time overdue but hey, things are going well down there. I didn't want to get into the whole list of all the good things going on but there's truly a resurgence of recognizing Sandwich Towne for what it is."
The base cost for Facca Incorporated to design and build the arch is over $188,000 including HST. The rest of the price tag covers storyboards, public consultant fees, plus costs for administration, contingency, archaeology and other factors.
The money will come out of a $7.2-million fund that councillors approved in 2014 for a new multi-story parking garage. There is no additional cost to the taxpayer but Elliott says the project will pay for itself over time as a symbol of city pride.
"I understand it's a lot of money, but at the end of the day it's for the whole community," says Elliott. "It's something where we invest in and it's for the city. It's to make the city look better, it's to bring tourists to the city, so it's a good investment."
Now that the project has been approved, the people of Sandwich Towne will be asked to provide input and contribute 14 stories of historical significance, which would be memorialized on plaques built into the arch's limestone abutments. Elliott says he hopes to see the arch up by summer 2018.
Sandwich Towne predates the City of Windsor with a settlement date of 1797. The neighbourhood is home to some of the oldest surviving structures in Ontario. It was annexed into the City of Windsor in 1935.