Bridgewater businesses fear closure because of waterfront construction
Business owners along King Street in Bridgewater, N.S., say their businesses may not survive to see the completion of a new $4.5-million waterfront redevelopment project.
Work on the Take Back the Riverbank project began last fall when the town tore down a waterfront parkade that supplied parking to shoppers along King Street.
With the parkade gone, the plan now is to build a park along the waterfront of King complete with an amphitheatre, a boardwalk and a small landing for boats.
Shop moving to the mall
The town has also contracted Mid Valley Construction to tear up the street to replace sewer, storm and water lines.
Shannon Oickle, manager of Vogue Optical, says no one is coming to her shop anymore, so after 18 years at her King Street location she's moving to the mall.
"Once they tore the parkade down in November we noticed a big difference. And with the construction started it's even worse," she said. "Absolutely no foot traffic."
Her neighbour, Adam Robar of Reliable Computer Services, says his manager is offering to drive to clients' homes to pick up their computers, because without parking no one is coming to the store. His boss has also drafted a letter threatening a lawsuit if the town doesn't offer compensation.
"We probably lost 60 to 70 per cent of our business," Robar said.
Jeff Killam, who bought the old King of Donair pizza shop on King last year and renamed it IOS Greek Donair and Pizza, says he's worried he'll have to lay off some of his six staff members or close entirely.
He says the town should have had a mitigation plan in place to help out shop owners like him who are struggling during construction.
"Give us a tax break for a year," he said. "Tell us we don't have to pay our taxes for a year. That would be a big help."
'It is very difficult'
The Canada Day parade goes by his pizza joint every year, but this year with all the construction he doubts he'll even open.
"I have workers here who are doing nothing. I'm paying them to do nothing," he said.
Peter Oickle, chair of Bridgewater's downtown planning advisory committee, says public consultation about the project began four years ago.
He's aware that some businesses are struggling.
"I would be surprised if it doesn't impact negatively on some of them," he said. "And we hope that will turn around but it is very difficult."
Done by November
Oickle says the town has invested in advertising urging shoppers to keep shopping downtown during construction, but the project does not include a mitigation plan to compensate small business.
Any potential lawsuits, he says, will have be dealt with by the elected council.
Oickle says the project should be completed by November.
The town is funding 53 per cent of the project. The federal government is paying for the rest.
