The City of Windsor has begun bringing in summer workers to help whip the city's parks into shape.
With the COVID-19 pandemic putting a crimp in usual city services, many full-time city employees were reassigned to handle other city business. Now, a total of 90 people are being welcomed by the city to spruce up parks and open many of the city's park washrooms.
The summer staff deployment consists of fifteen seasonal staff, plus 75 summer student workers. With the reassigning of some employees to other tasks, some green areas in the city's parks have become overgrown and weedy.
The summer student employees have completed their orientation and training and will begin a seven-day work week with varied start times spread over two shifts per day, according to a release from the City of Windsor.
Among the projects needing the help of redeployed full-time staff is the city's community garden. In a video produced by the city and shown below, employee Leilani Legronio describes how she went from her usual position as a landscaper to the community garden, in an effort to help the community.
Park washrooms are now open at Riverfront Festival Plaza, Charles Clark Square, Reaume Park and Coventry Gardens, the Queen Elizabeth II Sunken Gardens at Jackson Park, and the Matchette Road and Malden Road sections of Malden Park.
Portable toilets are also available at Dieppe Park near Bistro restaurant, the Caron Avenue pumping station, and Windsor Water World. All other public washrooms remain closed.
Playgrounds are still closed until further notice due to provincial regulations on controlling the spread of COVID-19, as does Sandpoint Beach in the East Riverside section.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r_3vSsbaBg&feature=emb_logo
