Council to decide on replacement for fountain honouring Charles Brooks. Here's what his family wants.

Windsor city council needs to decide how it will replace the International Charles Brooks Memorial Peace Fountain on the Detroit River and his family knows what they'd like to see happen. 

The legacy project, which honours the labour leader known in Windsor as a fierce champion of workers' rights before his assassination, has operated off the edge of Reaume Park for decades. 

Two options will go to council on Monday, both costing more than $10 million. 

Charlie's son George lives nearby and says the family has been consulted on the replacement project.

He sees this as an opportunity for council to re-commit to shared goals by marking it as "a place to celebrate both peace and democracy."

"I wanted this fountain to become more than just a fountain," said George.

A return to a floating fountain or land based design?

A consultant pitched three designs to council in 2022 and a decision was made to move forward with a year-round floating fountain to replace the original version that spent 45 years on Windsor's riverfront. 

But when the city asked companies to bid on the project earlier this year, city staff warned that costs would "far exceed the budget amount" estimated in 2022 of $8 million.

A staff report said there's $10.5 million budgeted for the project. 

Council asked staff to come back with other options and have priced out two options:

1. A similar sized, seasonal floating fountain with new winter storage at Reaume Park requiring a new access road for $10.5 million in total one-time, capital costs and a yearly operating cost of $160,000, similar to the previous fountain.
2. Build the fountain on land at the edge of Reaume Park for seasonal use with winter lighting. It would include shoreline improvements that would see water shooting into the river seasonally for a total one-time capital cost of $18.8 million and a yearly operating cost of $134,000.

George says the family has reviewed the options and, alongside input from union organizations and community members, believes the floating fountain is the best path forward. 

George said that when he sees the fountain and the beautiful photos people share of the fountain, his mind wanders to one place.

"My dad, Charlie," he said, noting the monument nearby that's dedicated to workers killed in the workplace. 

"It's a very moving place for me to go to. I don't go there often. I live near it, but I don't go there because I get traumatized," said Brooks, whose father was killed in 1977.

He hopes that council thinks about what a fountain named for peace can represent in Windsor. 

"I want us to make a recommitment to democracy... and the city of Windsor to lead the world in doing that," said Brooks. 

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said it will be up to the whole of council to decide if the fountain is a priority. 

"The peace fountain is one of those iconic features that I think everyone appreciates in the city of Windsor," said Dilkens. 

He said that the city was originally looking for ways to lower the increasing operating costs for the decades-old fountain when it started the replacement process in 2022.

Dilkens explained he doesn't see this as something impacting current budget discussions, which have councillors searching for savings, because it's a one-time capital cost.

"This really doesn't increase the operating budget at all," he told reporters. 

There's also a chance that the floating fountain, if selected by council, could see significant savings once the project starts. 

The consultant's report created for council suggests there could be money saved if the city doesn't need to replace the raft used to bring the fountain in and out of storage, which is about $530,000 of the total costs. 

There's also a well and pylons used for the fountain underwater that is in poor condition, but according to the consultants, a further review may show that there's some elements that could be reused. 

Whatever council decides, the city likely won't see any type of fountain at the park until spring of 2027.