WINDSOR -- The future of the pool and ice pad at the Adie Knox Herman Recreation Complex in west Windsor is safe after council passed a revised Parks and Recreation Master Plan on Monday night.

Council held a marathon meeting that wrapped just before midnight as councillors wrestled with key recommendations of the proposed 20-year plan which called for the closure of the pool and ice pad at the west-end community centre in favour of a gymnasium, fitness centre and walking track.

Ward 2 resident and frequent user of the Adie Knox centre, Caroline Taylor, urged council to maintain the facility’s pool and rink.

“Please, don’t take away this very needed amenity from the families in this community,” said Taylor. “It’s part of the fabric of Windsor’s west end.”

First-year councillor Fabio Costante, representing Ward 2, drove the discussion as he took issue with the consultant’s recommendation to move the pool and ice hours to facilities elsewhere in the city.

Costante’s motion to accept the master plan excluding the contentious recommendations concerning the pool and ice pad closures passed 7-3.

Council has also requested administration report back as to the feasibility of adding the proposed new amenities at Adie Knox while keeping what is currently on offer.

A further motion put forward by Ward 1 Councillor Fred Francis was approved that looks to explore a community partnership with the University of Windsor as the university works on a new $73 million sport and recreation centre which will include a new pool.

Todd Brown, president and principal consultant of Monteith Brown Planning Consultants, says the recommendation to “re-imagine” the Adie Knox facility as a community hub and re-purpose the centre for a wider range of activities was partly based on the surplus of both pool and ice hours in the city.

Brown says his team wanted to offer council what it saw as the best option to maximize recreational dollars.

“How can we create a better resource that better meets the needs of the community, creates a wider range of activities and takes the dollars that are being spent, I guess unnecessarily in our point of view, and re-allocated or potentially re-allocates those or a portion of those to residents?” Brown questioned.

The draft master plan contained 48 recommendations largely focusing on modernizing city facilities, youth outreach and program enhancements.