Two city-owned parking structures are going to get some much needed TLC after council approved $4.1 million dollars in upgrades Monday night.

The Goyeau garage, across the street from the Windsor police headquarters, will receive $2.1 million dollars in restoration, while the Pelissier Street garage is slated to receive a $1.3 million overhaul.

The improvements will include better lighting, security upgrades as well as aesthetic changes that the mayor believes will make the garages more safe, clean and inviting.

“I think our parking garages downtown, I think they smell, I think they’re unsightly and I think we have to do better,” said Mayor Drew Dilkens after council supported the motion 10-1. The only dissenting vote was ward 7 councillor Irek Kusmierczyk.

Other changes include illuminated signs, new handrails in the stairwells, enhanced architectural features at the security kiosk and a full glass sliding door to the central elevator lobby. The Goyeau garage will need more work to restore all parking deck surfaces and the concrete soffit. The to-do list also includes replacing the existing roof membrane with a drought resistant Prairie Grass landscape.

Mayor Dilkens says the fixes are only possible thanks to the recent sale of the city's assets in Canderel building, including the parking structure. Dilkens mentioned the possibility of garage updates at Pelissier and Goyeau the same day the Canderel deal was finalized by council.

“They’re our assets and we have the money to do that because we sold the Canderel garage, and moving forward we have asset management plan that we’re working on that will allow council and the city to maintain those garages in a good state in perpetuity.”

After initial design and engineering, Dilkens tells CTV News the work to implement will begin in 2018.

An attempt by ward 4 councillor Chris Holt to have an additional $800,000 from the sale of the Canderel assets trasferred to the city's parking off-street parking reserve fund was voted down by council.