“There is going to be a bit of disruption, but we’ll get through it."
That is the message from Thorold’s Business Improvement Association president Serge Carpino as the redoing of Front Street draws closer.
Crews are slated to begin working on the renovations in March or April.
The entire downtown strip will be worked over with new concrete, landscaping and beautification - but will also shut down the city core for the busy summer season.
The BIA says business owners have signaled worry over the timing, but as the project is nearing its start and information starts to become more clear, some concerns are dissipating, Serge Carpino tells Thorold News.
“For the major part, what I have heard is that people know that down the road, at the end of the year, they are going to have a beautiful downtown with new cement, flower boxes and landscaping. It is going to be great”, he says.
Carpino describes the project as “short term pain for long term gain”, but stresses that businesses are getting sidewalk access.
Still, the project will come with some changes.
The annual car show the third week in July will move to the parking lot by the Book Depot, and there are some questions on the Santa Claus Parade route in November, which will occur before the project is anticipated to wrap up.
Another question is how downtown parking will be affected by the massive renovations.
Serge Carpino, who also sits on the Parking Committee says that an early clue could be that the strip between Regent and Albert St will be the first section of Front to be completed, allowing for parking there as soon as a few months after the project has started.
“That area is going to be experiencing the least amount of disruptio," he says.
