Yesterday morning happened to be the third and final of the public open house/information sessions in Windsor in the initial phase of the new Windsor Jail a.k.a. the South West Detention Centre .
I asked the people there, if the roof in the concept was a Green Roof, and if they were planning on making the structure as energy efficient as possible. They told me, while there are no final plans, they would like a Green Roof, and to follow some LEED guidelines if possible.
This is a great chance to build a showpiece of modern architecture in this city. Rather than fighting the province over the location, which is away from 98% of the population of the City of Windsor, we should be fighting the province to build it properly.
Let’s fight for a Green Roof
Let’s fight for Solar Panels
Let’s fight for Rainwater recycling
Let’s fight for a LEED structure
This constant bickering is embarrassing, and it’s no wonder that the province never listens to Windsor.
The site has been selected off the 8th Concession near the 401, in the middle of nowhere, and the Environment Assessment process is scheduled to be underway from November, 2008 to March, 2009.
So, after listening to NIMBY tears for the last several weeks, I decided to investigate the site of the new jail this morning for myself. As you can see the location is in the middle of nowhere.
Concerned NIMBY’s have taken to spray painting the sign “Help Eddie” & “No Jail”
An aerial view of the immediate area. There is a soccer club immediately south, and along the 8th concession a handful of homes, as well as two oddly located residential streets (one of which – Joy Rd. is visible at the top).
Other that what 100 people? There is next to no residential in the area. It seems to me we couldn’t ask for a better location for the new jail.
Despite the best attempt at fear mongering by the local media, saying the new jail is to be located at Walker Rd. and the 401, as you can see it’s not.
We all know the biggest fear everyone has is that if there is a jail break that the Costco or one of the other big box stores will be robbed. So I took a scientific study and charted the two possible escape routes to Costco from the new jail. As you can see, the closest route is still over 3.5 km away. 🙂
Honestly though, it was embarrassing sitting in that room yesterday listening to the NIMBY’s speak with raised voices to the representatives from Correctional Services.
I haven’t never heard so many ill formed, inarticulate opinions spoken so loudly in public since the Enwin water rate meetings.
It’s a shame that this is the face Windsor’s puts out to the province.
**[EDIT] I forgot to add that if you have any comments, one way or the other, you can send them along though the website, which can be found at: http://ontario.ca/swdc. Don’t forget that even if you agree with the proposed location, you should let the Ministry know. I’m sure they’re hearing all the NIMBY negative comments, but they also need to hear from those who think this is a good location.
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If people posting on this site are so against urban sprawl, than why do you want a jail built in the middle of undeveloped farmland? Driving around the city of Windsor there appears to be many potential sites that can be torn down and redeveloped as a jail. How about the GM Transmission plant on Walker Road? Once they move out and board up shop, it'll be just another empty rust house. How about tearing down Windsor Arena and the subsidized drug houses behind the Arena downtown? If the city is so committed to bringing people downtown and have more people to walk the streets, what's better than having correction officers spending money at local restuarants? Sure inmates may be released downtown but with it being near the police station and court house the risk seems minimal that crime would increase that much. A better idea would be the province buying Zalev Bros. land near Howard & EC Row. That polluted inner city site needs to be shut down so our roads are stained brownish/orange anymore let alone the air pollution it puts out. I don't care if the current site is chosen, nor do I care about the Brighton Beach area. Where's Councillor Halberstadt or the other Monkey Puppet's form council asking for the jail to be built on Lauzon/Tecumseh to replace the old Wal-Mart/Woolco store or some other run down area of the city? We need a new jail in this city and the investment in infrastructure creates jobs (although temporary) and boosts the local economy which we need.
Build it in Tecumseh to make up for their failed arena fiasco. They deserve it.
The old barn is a great location, IMHO. The services that most of the released inmates need are located within walking distance, so most of them quickly end up in that area anyhow. I think it's a great idea all around.
The only problem with the Barn is that it isn't closing.
Once the Spitfires move to their new taxpayer-funded playground, the barn will revert to a community rink, and will be the new home of the Lancers Hockey program.
So closing a tearring down an existing, in use building doesn make much sense.
I think Randolph's idea of the Zalev site would be great.
It has access to main artery roads (both Dougall and EC Row), is reasonably close to downtown (a quick shot down Dougall), it's already serviced, any close residential is bound off by Howard and Dougall... and the city would no longer have to pay to power wash the sidewalks and streets every year.
I've always wondered how long the city will allow Zalev to keep polluting that area of town - it's crazy.
It was interesting to read in the paper today about the Province being hush hush on the selection process for the jail. One location I thought was a very good idea was the old Chrysler van plant between Central & Pillette along E.C. Row. The land is serviced, if the build it to the far west side of the property there would be very minimal residential impact. I'm not sure about proxitmity to schools, although the closest I can think of are Herman H.S. & Davis grade school. I would rather have the jail located there instead of some industry that increases traffic, pollution, noise etc.
It is unfortunate that the aflfuence of the residential community in the area might have the power to prevent the facility from being built. Shall it be located in west Windsor where the economic level is less? There isn't a place in the area where the facility can be built without the perception of affecting someone. I lived in West Windsor fior many years and felt no ill effects of the jail there. People are fear mongering. People are prejudgiced. People are hateful and unforgiving. Many of those confined to the facility DO want to be rehabilitated.
Quote:
I lived in West Windsor fior many years
and felt no ill effects of the jail there.
Did you ever notice the break-in rate at homes directly in the area? Did you ever notice the steady stream of traffic in front of the jail -- both when inmates were released onto the street, or when their friends were lining up to try to "visit" them (aka- sneak drugs into the facility for them) ?
Quote:
People are fear mongering. People are
prejudgiced. People are hateful and
unforgiving.
This is not fear mongering. This is reality. I don't live in the are where the proposed jail site is, but people in that area SHOULD be scared that their homes will be visited with the same brake-ins the plague the west end.
Quote:
Many of those confined to the facility DO
want to be rehabilitated.
I am 100% for rehabilitation. Would wouldn't be? However, once again, the sad reality is that MOST of those who are released from the jail are drug addicts. And those addicts support their habit by breaking into cars, holding up convenience stores, & breaking into homes. By moving the jail to a more central part of the city, we are just changing the location of the crime. Citizens in this area have every right to speak up & voice their opinion.
Ken - I would hardly call the 8th Concession and the 401 a "central part of the city".
It's out in the middle of nowhere.
Hey Andrew...great site, but even looking at the pictures you have of old Windsor I wonder if you get what putting a jail in this area means. For example, you have some pictures of Walkerville when it still looked like farmland or even better, Howard and Tecumseh when Mr. Howard had a farm there and you have to wonder what would the area look like, if back then they put a huge 315 bed prison there. Probably nothing like it does...that area will one day be the new Windsor and putting a prison there as the first piece of development is short sighted. Also, it is not "in the middle of nowhere"...it may be next to some farm fields but a nice 500m away it is very built up.