Windsor's newest park being treated as an off-road course

Windsor's newest public park is being is being used as an off-road course and a dump.

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The natural area off Twin Oaks Drive in the city's east end was designated a public park just weeks ago, and doesn't have a name yet. But the City of Windsor says the area is being so badly damaged by cars and trucks, it may need to be patrolled.

Wednesday morning, CBC News found a car stuck in the mud and two men trying to get it out.

They said it started raining Tuesday when they were driving through the area and got stuck in the mud.

CBC cameras were rolling when the police showed up Wednesday to investigate.

The two men each got a trespassing ticket for $85 and were ordered to remove the cars by the end of the day.

Phil Roberts, with the city's park's department, says incidents like that happen all the time in the area. He also said people dump all kinds of things there. Discarded furniture was spotted in the natural area Wednesday.

"Now we're dealing with erosion problems. The dumped materials end up in the watercourse and ultimately end up in our Great Lakes," he said.

Roberts said the damage is also ruining the natural habitat of animals. So, he's considering having city workers patrol the area.

In the meantime, Roberts said a clean-up blitz will take place in April to remove all the garbage from the park.

After CBC News posted video of the damage and the car stuck in the mud to CBC Windsor's Facebook page, some people suggested the city actually turn the area into an off-road park instead.

Coun. Hilary Payne said there's no chance of that happening. He's the one who pushed for the area to be a designated a public park.

"Let them go out and buy a small farm or something outside the city. They can run all over it all day long, cutting it up in pieces, but not in a nature park with the flora and fauna. It's almost sacrilegious," he said.