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Skuza pointed to dead trees and rundown sections of chain-link fence as eyesores along a waterway that for the most part has remained bone-dry.

“After the heaviest rains we’ve had the last two years I’ve only seen the ditch get half full and in half a day it’s down to nothing,” he said. “I’m not saying gut the thing, but they can do something to make it more welcoming.”

A man whose house lies at the foot of the pedestrian bridge only gave his name as Brian. He said he had lived at that address since the ’70s and watched the “ditch” get built.

In the time he’s lived there, the 66-year-old said the drain has done its job and there’s no reason to change things now.

“I’m not saying it’s beautiful, but it’s functional and I’m a functional type of guy.”

As for the idea of added bridges helping link him to neighbours across the way, Brian said he’d prefer the money went to something more important.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit childish?” he said. “I went over to talk with a guy who moved over there a month and a half ago. I didn’t need a park to get there, I used the bridge.”

Photo by Dan Janisse / Windsor Star

Marianne Panas lives across the road from Brian. She said she would love to see more paths and trees, especially for the kids who stream across the bridge to Central Public School or nearby parks, but doesn’t expect to see changes any time soon.

“I think it’s going to look nice,” she said. “I hope it happens, but I don’t know if it’ll happen in 10 years or 20.”

Francis explained that while Monday’s vote was a good step for the project that may still be decades from completion, that doesn’t affect what he called his “vision” of doing better with the drain.

“If we’re able to one day link this to existing trails that’s the dream, where you can bike from East Windsor all the way to South Windsor all on trails,” the councillor said.

dtaekema@postmedia.com

Photo by Dan Janisse / Windsor Star