Windsor City Council has agreed to accept a report on options to improve safety in a park south of the downtown core.
The report, which lays out options for safety enhancements at Mitchell Park on Giles Boulevard East, was accepted by council as part of the communications package listed on the agenda for Monday afternoon's meeting.
Ward 3 Councillor Renaldo Agostino had in March requested that the City consider hiring staff to work at Mitchell Park, which has been the focus of complaints from residents about aggressive behaviour by young people.
Before the report was accepted, Agostino asked on Monday that the administration look into a pilot project for a summer drop-in program, which would work in cooperation with the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative (DWCC). The program, which would operate during July and August, would cost up to $19,500 plus applicable taxes from the City's budget stabilization reserve fund, according to Agostino. It would allow the City to hire staff to work at Mitchell Park.
The DWCC already has community-based programs in the area, such as a public potluck supper in Bruce Park on Tuesday evenings during warm-weather months, and similar drop-in programs there and at Wigle Park.
The report also raised the possibility of having someone hired to work Mitchell Park through the Canada Summer Jobs Program, though the application process for it has passed and many college and university students are already out in the community with summer jobs.