So I took a drive through the Indian Road ghetto the other day. What a mess the city has created over there… But that’s another set of posts….
Indian Road is now almost all boarded up along the east side of the road, from University to Mill…. When I got to Mill and turned the corner, I was shocked to see this big apartment building at 759 Mill all boarded up.
I know the bridge company has been buying up huge swaths of Sandwich, but why? What’s so interesting about this building and the others on Felix and Rosedale that are all boarded up too? Hummm….
In case you aren’t familiar with the area, the building is here, just north of the old Forester Football field and track (is it still in use?).
The “map my city” feature of the City of Windsor shows the owner of 759 Mill as:
DANBURY PROPERTY
5795 TECUMSEH RD E
WINDSOR ON N8T 1E1
Anyone know anything about Danbury? Are they related to the Bridge Co?
I saw this building about a month ago, and took a slow drive by it also, it looked as if there was a fire or something there, but I never heard anything on the news or in the paper? Was this bought up by the bridge company also? It’s been in this state for some time now!
There was indeed a fire there back in February (http://www.windsorvisuals.com/83363.html), but it came at a time when the place was nearly empty, presumably because folks had been given notice to move out. Weird how this one is all closed, it doesn’t seem to fit with the Bridge plans, but then again…. they do own stuff on Edison. Hmm
I know a few weeks ago there was talks of an Apartment Building, in the Windsor Star, that had a Mouse Infestation, and that the owner was not paying its bills to Enwin & also The Pest control Company. It also stated that Residence were going to be all moving out and so forth, because the notice came from Enwin that the power was going to go out, by the middle of this month. This was just recently in the Windsor Star, but I can not remember where it was located or when it was posted, but I did read it on the Online.
I believe that the evil bridge empire is trying to buy up more land than just Indian Road to build their truck inspection plaza. I think they even wanted to make a truck route from there to the Ferry Dock on the West Shore for trucks carrying hazardous goods. I think the big problem here is that nobody really knows what the Bridge co is up to… all I know is that they are running full steam on their propaganda machine, as they have paid local “bloggers” to have a fake blog about the merits of giving this company all power. (I say fake blog, because a real blog is an expression of opinions, and this ‘fake’ blog or “un-blog” does not allow anyone to post responses) . The Windsor and West Windsor residents are being played as fools for whatever the Bridge Co has up its sleeves. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this Danbury Properties is one of Moroun’s secret companies. I don’t think that we all should jump on the ‘hate the city’ bandwagon here… they are trying to protect the residents of Windsor… remember: it is Moroun who purchased these houses and boarded them up so that he can buy more at cheaper rates. It is his best interests to de-value the neighborhood. Look at all the success he has had in this regard in Detroit! The condition of the Michigan Rail Depot is what we can expect for the ‘old-span’ if he is allowed to build his new one. We need some clarity in the Bridge’s plans. We need it to be in the public hands. Let the residents decide their future. (Ps. I wonder if all these arson cases in these abandoned properties are linked????? seems fishy to me)
Right John, because the city hasn’t played the same game. Whatever?
Oh, yes it fits into the bridge plans. Looking at the map, it is adjacent to the now vacant land just north of McDonald’s. I heard that building was slated to be demo’d too. Any preservationists out there for what was once the highest volume McD’s in Canada (so I heard)?
Makes sense if you want more land for truck inspection, etc.
Did Mill St. extend out to Huron Church before? It would be interesting to see some pics of the bridge area thru the years. There are many pics of interest of the US side, I think WSU has aerial photos online. It looks like the bridge just empties out onto a regular street – strange.
Wow John, so is every big spender willing to spend money in this bankrupt city when all the other big spenders left now the evil empire? I can’t believe people still talk like that in a city with the highest unemployment rate in the country. Suddenly, Moroun is responsible for our high vacancy rates and property devaluing? Maybe it’s this evil empire mentality bandwagon (that’s even affected our local politicians) that’s scared so many business out of this city. Like I really want to see the province build anything after seeing how long it took to finish EC Rowe. We need jobs now and this guy’s willing to offer it.
Oh and btw, Mouron offered to restore the MCS if those brainless politicians would simply sign a piece of paper allowing him to operate a casino there. There’s already 3 in Detroit. What’s wrong with a fourth? He also offered to spend $80 million of his own money to restore it if the city would lease it as police headquarters, a municipal building, or whatever. Why would you sink a fortune into something you can’t rent? It defies common sense. Evil empire my ass. I wish we had more people like him willing to invest money in this city. Just imagine living in a city that doesn’t have the highest unemployment rate in the country and the highest welfare rolls…
David, do you really believe it will cost only $80 million to restore the old train station? It cost more then double that to renovate the Book Cadillac hotel and I’d argue that the Book Cadillac was in at most the same state of disrepair (from what I’ve seen from other blogs).
You talk about “investing” in this city. It’s not investing in this city by tearing down an entire street of houses, commercial properties etc. to build a new bridge that will employ minimal Windsorites. We need a highway to run up to a new bridge to keep minimal interruptions for traffic flow. If Moroun wants to build and pay for a tunnel below Huron Church to this new bridge then allow him to build it. But that second span should not be built without proper infrastructure on the Canadian side.
I agree with John and have expressed similarly in previous posts. The ABC has been very successful in developing their agenda on the US side and has had full co-operation of the City of Detroit and it seems that ABC has a heavy influence in the State Legislature. The plans for this second span are well advanced on the US side and major infrastructure changes (freeway routing, etc.) are well underway. The ABC has encountered ‘roadblocks’ on the Canadian side. It appears that ABC has the attitude of ‘build it and they will come…’, hence if the Sandwich area is devasted and rundown there will be no objections to ABC takeover and ultimately the City and Province will come around and develop the infrastructure to service the new span. The ABC must disclose their entire plan and not play games in the background.
At this point in time I could care less about their train station. we have enough worries on this side of the border.
Isn’t it interesting that Maroun also wants to put a greenbelt on the west side of the bridge yet the city has ignored him. Interesting how they had yet another economic forum and didn’t invite one of the largest taxpayers in the city; The Bridge Co.
Who is at fault for the boarded up homes? Seems to me the city voted inan ill-advised IBC (interim control bylaw) that allows no one without the hassles of “special exemptions” which take years to go through to do any work on their properties. Effectively createing the very ghetto some on here are lamenting.
Besides anyone who says any part of that area is historic (no, not the entire Sandwich area) needs to give their heads a shake.
Employ minimal Windsorites?! The Windsor Star said that twin spanning will create 4,000 jobs in the first year alone. http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Ambassador+Bridge+gets+loan+approval+twinning/1403319/story.html
The people who get those jobs need will spend money in Windsor in the very least on lodging, food and entertainment which will have a significant impact on improving our depressed economy. That’s a huge “investment” in Windsor’s economy.
Of course, if you’re using a public sector model like the one that took 20 years to build EC Rowe you’ll have a lot less employment when it’s needed the most. The private sector understands the need to lots of workers to work on an accelerated work schedule because no project completion equals no money to pay interest on the project.
I don’t get it. Do the people who post on here live in a bubble where their incomes are guaranteed for life? Do they not know anybody who’s unemployed? Am I the only one on this website struggling in this bankrupt city? Enough with all the grandstanding. Fast Eddie is talking about getting all these companies to move to Windsor and invest, yet when someone actually does come down our local polibureau sets up smoke screens and stonewalls ruining our local economy even more.
Moroun is in his 80s with a few years left. Do you think he’s really trying to spend the last few years of his life screwing this city? He can’t take his money to the grave. Think about what kind of example this kind of stonewalling sets for other companies looking to invest in this city. If I was a billionaire like Moroun, I’d say f’ck this city, our brainless politicians, and all its negativity for trying to help. I’d be cashing out and taking my money to Bermuda and living up the last few years of my life. I’ve gotta hand it to the guy for hanging in there for as long as he has when all the movers and shakers packed their bags for cities a lot more welcoming.
Yes, Andrew, the Forster athletic field is still in regular use by the high school but with abutting property on both sides of it being acquired, it suggests there will soon be pressure to close Forster. If you stand on Huron Church at Mill’s dead-end looking west you’ll see the field and the high school are in line with the now-vacant former university residential properties the bridge has acquired.
Whether the proposed new bridge is good or bad for Windsor can’t be determined because, so far, the company hasn’t publicly detailed the impact of its expansion plan on the community. Homes are not just boarded up on Indian Road. There are single-family homes shuttered as well on two blocks of Edison, at College and Felix, and now Bloomfield Road near Prince Road some 1.5 km from the bridge. Who is doing this and why? All this is consistent with the route for a four-lane truck highway from the E.C. Row Expressway to the Ambassador Bridge which shows up in a 1997 city-sponsored traffic study known as WALTS. Google “ring road Ambassador Bridge.”
Sandwich residents have a reason to be concerned because of the rumours which no one will dismiss. Will there be a truck inspection yard handling 10,000 trucks daily located in the residential community? Will the truck traffic on Huron Church, that South Windsor wants tunneled, be re-routed on a final leg to the Ambassador Bridge through Sandwich’s Bloomfield public housing neighborhood? Will the high school and elementary schools be able to remain open if the nearby housing stock is reduced?
Some answers could confirm or relieve these concerns.
When i lived in the building we made our checks out to Obolus LTD. The owners name was Ed Meyer at the time. What i am hearing now is that he sold the building but was still doing all the management duties for the bridge company. The building was over 30 years old and in need of a full makeover. The roof leaked and the elevator was broke at least once a week.
Obviously Dave is one of those paid by Moroun. The 4000 jobs statement is FALSE. First off, that is Stamper saying that, and Im sorry, but since funding is by US bonds, it will be employed by USA employees. (just like now, how many of the bridge workers are Canadians? all the tolls are on the US side) 2nd off, These are not JOB, these are JOB/years. That means, you can employ 500 people for 8 years, or 8000 people for 6 months. Doesn’t look like its a long term solution to anything. And 3rd, and Final point: what more jobs will a 2nd Ambassador span create than the DRIC bridge? How will the DRIC bridge not create just as many? Looks like you are eating up the Stamper-spinster propaganda. All I am saying is, why do they not make their plans clear? In the Free Press Yesterday, 11 politicians are blocking M.C.Kilpatrick’s attempt to block funding to the DRIC bridge. Remember, Moroun has been backing Kilpatricks for years to get what he wants. Corruption runs deep in that circle.
JB: yes, Mill St used to connect with Huron Church Rd.
I grew up at 631 Indian Road, between Mill and Wyandotte (looking forward to the update on Indian Andrew). What the bridge company has done is shameful. Moroun has destroyed the area around the bridge. It used to be a vibrant neighbourhood with many professors and professionals mixed in with the students. Most of the houses were well-maintained. Now it is simply a slum and it breaks my heart everytime I return to Windsor. When my mom moved away about 3 years ago I think she was the last person on the block that still owned the house she lived in.
St. Francis school used to be a great place, where kids from lots of backgrounds and economic classes mixed. Now it is empty and possibly closing, which would be the last Catholic school other than St. James west of Huron Church.
The second span will create jobs no matter where it is. Why on earth does it need to be in the middle of a neighbourhood, right beside the ever-growing University? And why on earth would anybody let it be privately owned. If the city let’s Moron get away with this it will haunt Windsor for decades.
Forster is now surrounded and it won’t be long before the pressure is on to close the only public high school west of Ouellette and North of EC Row, which will further the destruction of the West End.
BTW… Mill Street was blocked off about 1990 during a period when Huron Church was being changed around.
While I’m fired up, I’d like to point out that Windsor’s wonderful MPP’s are absolutely useless on this issue. Sandra P. is a disgusting example of somebody who is keeping quiet and putting her own ambitions ahead of the good of the people she represents.
I didn’t know democracy was allowing a billionaire to do what he likes without having to properly go about building such a significant structure. The bridge company tries to play by their own rules, read the Windsor Star article about the US Coast Guard threatening lawsuit against A.B.C. because they’ve already started building the new bridge in Detroit. But once again Mr. Stamper, representing the bridge company says its all improvements and a big misunderstanding. Of course it is!
What the Ambassador Bridge Co is trying to do is despicable. There is a voice recording of Stamper’s response to The DHS/Coast Guards warning for potential lawsuit on one of Detroit’s news websites (can’t remember which) where Stamper arrogantly blames the Coast Guard for misinformation and accuses MDOT of ‘meddling’ in the Bridge’s business. What company thinks that they are above the law? It is this attitude of entitlement that has caused the big recession we are in. Finally, the lawmakers on the US side are awaking and stopping the Moroun/Kilpatrick corruption circle. What will Moroun’s local Windsor blogger say now? Oh… he will probably focus on trying to defame all local politicians (because anyone in the way is the enemy to him!). He likes to disclose all politician’s salaries, but he will not disclose the amount Moroun pays him. Be careful what you read out there… And, as chet said, We need to get our MP’s and MPP’s involved in this! Or maybe we should go higher and start sending letters to the PM, US President, and the Gov-General!
forgot to mention: The Bridge is also under investigation for funneling money from the Gateway Highway enhancement project to their new, and unapproved span. That was they had the MI politicians well paid off (Kilpatrick, Knollenberg, etc..) Sorry Moroun, you can’t build a bridge under the radar (you should have tried to do a tunnel if you wanted your project to be secret).
It’s “Moroun’s attitude of entitlement that has caused the big recession we are in”?? Whatever. Talking like that is “despicable”. I’d like to know how our depressed local economy is not affecting you? Do you just sit at home collecting free welfare thinking up this nonesense because you’re too lazy to get out there and find a job or are you a CUPE worker who knows he has an easy guaranteed high paid job for life with annual increases when everyone else has to suffer and take a cut or struggle trying make mortgage payments? Maybe it’s your attitude of entitlement of easy CUPE jobs or free welfare that’s caused all the businesses to get up and leave this city causing this “big recession” in Windsor. The laws gotta change were you have to work for welfare so you come down off your pedestal and into reality and I don’t have to read this BS.
And, no, I don’t work for the bridge company, Girish. I wish I did. Doesn’t seem like anyone will with all this stonewalling going on. So enjoy your free welfare and the computer and Internet access it pays for so you can write up this crap and scare off anyone who wants to give this city a chance and invest because you have nothing better to do with your time than complain about anyone trying to improve our local economy.
If I were mayor of this city I would be bending over backwards to get Moroun to spend his money to get 4,000 high paying jobs in Windsor for the first year. That’s a lot better than the 100 or so $10 an hour min. wage crap he’s brought in from Sutherland. Instead of giving millions of taxpayer dollars to his lawyer buddies to stonewall Moroun, he should be negotiating with Moroun and getting it in writing as to how many of those 4,000 jobs will be local Windsorite hires. He’s not acting in the public interest by just stonewalling. You want corruption, look no further than fast eddie…
You’re right David, it is the workers that caused the recession, not the banks, the Wall Street traders or the economists that recommended derivative trading whole-hearted. I’m sorry that you seem to be experiencing tough times, but don’t blame powerless workers (who are likely your neighbours) for the problem, blame the real culprits.
David, if you can tell me why the bridge Moroun wants to build will create more jobs and more government revenue than building it somewhere else than you might have a point. But I’m pretty sure that you can’t.
Dear David, when you use quotations, perhaps you should actually quote what was said. What makes you think that I, or anyone against this bridge, is unemployed? Maybe some of us are professionals that do not rely on the auto industry. You want to know why businesses are leaving the city? Unions. That is why… not because we are trying to prevent a bully from building a bridge where we don’t want it. And, since it was already stated here by at least 3 people and you still didn’t hear: The DRIC bridge would create just as many jobs as the Ambassador project. SO, if it is a quick job you are after, wouldn’t you rather build a bridge where the city wants it?
If the DRIC bridge would create jobs, let them build both. Then, you’d have twice as many jobs–even better. But, I doubt the DRIC bridge would be built as fast with as many workers seeing how slow public works like EC Rowe took. We can’t wait four years for studies before a shovel hits the ground and people are paid to work. Moroun is offering to make this happen this year if politicans will let him and that’s when we need it the most. If it wasn’t for Moroun taking the initiative, I doubt our government would seriously consider spending the money on the DRIC bridge. It would simply be some whimsical idea like the Detroit-Windsor cable car.
From a business standpoint, why would you build somewhere else when you’ve already invested all this money in the land and paperwork. It’s not good business sense to spend tens of millions on the groundwork and suddenly write it off and move to another area of town and spend tens of millions more. And, where do we even see that in practice. In Toronto, the government simply widens the highways. How wide is the 401 running through Toronto now, 14 lanes? If there’s a river under the 401 when it’s widened, they add a second bridge next to it. You think they don’t knock down buildings next to the highways. They don’t go building a new parallel highway several km from the 401 divert traffic and then rejoin the 401 another several kms down. It makes no business sense to do that. And, a lot of people live close to the 401 in Toronto, so I don’t buy those pollution exposure arguments. But, if the government wants to build a second bridge in addition to this one, let them. The city can use the extra jobs…
Maybe if Windsor’s economy was in better shape, we could debate this another four years, but come on, in this economy, we need these jobs now…
Can we get back to the main topic? The topic is Indian Road. On that topic, there is nobody to blame other than the Ambassador Bridge Company, who bought, and boarded up houses before they even had the backing or the legal permission to build a 2nd span. I am glad that the city will not let him tear them down: for all we know at this point, ABC could tear them all down, and never be allowed to build a bridge. Then we have nothing. The Bridge co destroyed the street, that’s all there is to it. They should be forced to restore the street back to how they found it (and Michigan Central Depot too).
Anybody who thinks truck traffic between Windsor and Detroit in twenty to thirty years will approach the volume we have today had better look at the facts. Global oil production, according to the best estimates, peaked in 2005 and there hasn’t been a major new discovery since the North Sea and Alaska North Slope oil fields were discovered in the 70’s. Alberta’s huge tar sands are dependent on huge quantities of water that are discharged as contaminated waste and never purified. Eventually, the province of Alberta will have to decide between keeping the tar sands open or providing drinking water to its’ citizens. Anybody who thinks that more roads will solve our truck traffic problems had better think again.
Concerned Citizen. there is somebody else to blame. Windsor city council. After all it as THEIR interim control bylaw that did not allow the ABC to build their greenway buffer. It was THEIR interim control bylaw that didn’t allow residents to do work on their own properties without jumping through a bunch of red tape that took over a year just to remove one dangerous dilipated garage.
For those blaming the ABC (and I sure as heck don’t like Maroun either)think ofhow the city has not even talked with ABC; how they haven’t even invited one of the largest taxpayers in this city to an economic forum(s); how they disregard their own bylaw (no banners or placards in council chambers while they have a massive Greenlink banner)to accomodate their own agenda; how they cut off the representatives of teh ABC while allowing others to speak for more than 10 minutes at council meetings. Is it any wonder Windsor has such a poor reputation amongst business owners around the entire planet?
Sure the ABC is playing their game but it wa a game introduced by Windsor City Council. The sad part is the residents suffer. But to blame only the ABC is a bit much.
But I already see above if you questiont he motives of council while baching ABC things are o.k. If you back up the ABC with FACTS then one MUST be paid by the ABC. I sure wish I was being paid I could use the money in a city with 13.9% unemployment. I will also add that a new road would be built and that too would create jobs. The americans couldn’t build the span here so Canadian workers would have to be used on this side of the border.
George is right. We will not be shipping goods by truck in the same quantity that we have been in the last 20-30 years. The Indian Road fiasco has multiple sources- everyone is to blame. Regardless (and I don’t mean that to degrade those who have been personally affected on Indian Road) but either proposed crossing, a 2nd Ambassador span or DRIC is going to negatively affect most residents of Sandwich. Do you want to live in a neighbourhood that is bordered by two international crossings and industrial port facilities?? We don’t need a tunnel, we don’t need to widen or do anything to Huron Church. Traffic is decreasing and will continue to as Ontario and Michigan continue to move from a secondary (manufacturing) economy to tertiary (service) economies. And that is okay…
Similar dealings on the other side.
http://www.metrotimes.com/culture/story.asp?id=13915
what pisses me off is the city won their battle againstMoroum but thwey still won’t dump this bullshit interim bylaw i hope this mess turns around and bites king eddie and council in the ass ral hard