Growing pains in Nelson

Just as summer arrived in Nelson, so did the roadworks crew

by Marie Milner — June 11, 2015

The patio at BiBO restaurant in Nelson overlooks the work being done on Hall Street

The patio at BiBO restaurant in Nelson, B.C., overlooks the infrastructure work being done on Hall Street. — Photo courtesy June McEwen

An unusually early start to summer would ordinarily mean extra profits for the restaurants along Hall Street in Nelson, B.C. However, overdue upgrades to the city’s infrastructure have made street excavation necessary, and since mid-April, access to Hall Street businesses has been compromised by the Stores to Shores project.

Cait Cormie of Sidewinders Coffee Co. and June McEwen of BiBO restaurant attended the project information/planning meetings prior to the beginning of the project, and we asked them how they’re coping with the reality of the street work just outside their doors.

What’s it like trying to run your business during the upgrades?

Cormie: It’s a construction zone right outside, so it’s noisy and it’s dirty. The workers are going full on, and we’re actually opening earlier in the morning to accommodate them. I kind of feel sorry for them because there are businesses and pedestrians right in the middle of where they’re working, and it must be difficult.

We’re kind of spoiled—this is the biggest thing that’s happened in our downtown since about the 80s, and (the disruption is) temporary.

McEwen: Our guests are great—quite shocked at what’s being done, but compassionate about the Bedrock scene outside our window—you know, like in the Flintstones. The sidewalks are ripped up, so they’re creating alternative ways that circumvent the construction site, and it changes from day to day.

Has the volume of your business been affected much?

Cormie: Our business is down, but not to the point where we’re worried. Hopefully, they’ll be done our portion before the real summer hits. They’ve been running into some unexpected things with the really old infrastructure, though, so we’ll see. We’re hoping for a beautiful September.

McEwen: Usually we open our patio on May 1. However, the work started in mid-April, and on the second day that the crews were there, I came to work to find our patio area completely gone—every brick. That was a shock. We had no patio in May, but the work is progressing really fast and the patio has been open since early June. Maglio Installations and the City are very aware of the impact of this work on the businesses, and they’re doing everything they can to get the project finished quickly. We really appreciate that.

What positive effect do you expect this project to have on your business?

Cormie: They will eventually be putting public washrooms in the park area, which is good, and we’re hoping that with the beautification of this whole area, it will become more of a hub for people to enjoy.

McEwen: I’m a big advocate of creating public spaces—anything that creates more pedestrian corridors or public spaces or event spaces or park spaces—that’s a really good thing for a city. I’ve been in support of that from the beginning. We have to keep focused on the end result, and I’m sure it will be fantastic.