Pavement arrived along the remainder of Main Street last week as businesses along the corridor assessed the total cost of the project on their bottom line.
While some businesses were not significantly affected, the effect was “crushing” for others.
“It was detrimental,” said Garth Ingham, owner of George T. Ingham and Sons Jewellers Ltd. “We noticed a huge drop in sales.”
Regular clientele continued to shop at the store, but the regular stream of customers from Gleniffer Lake slowed to a trickle, he said.
“It was virtually impossible for seniors to get in, in spite of us opening up the back door,” he said. “The faster they can get it finished up the better.”
In all he estimates revenue dropped 20 per cent over the course of the summer.
“What's been done out there is attractive,” he said. “I doubt very much what's happened is going to increase business for us.”
For Tom Lindl Guitar and Entertainment the effect was a bit starker, according to the store's namesake owner. The impact of the street renos were muted in June since Lindl could offset the decrease in sales with his guitar lesson business. But after that stopped for the summer the reality of the construction effects hit hard, with sales dropping up to 85 per cent on days the road was closed.
“I don't know if the town realized the impact would be that severe,” he said. “I didn't know it would be a four-month process.”
He says the project took a 50-70 per cent chunk out of his sales figures, when averaged over the whole summer.
“I basically had to do a lot of borrowing from Peter to pay Paul,” he said.
Carol Smith, owner of Studio Arts, says store traffic was so dead she shut down for two weeks to wait it out.
“It really, really was slow,” she said, adding overall sales figures were off 75 per cent from normal levels. “They did do the best they could.”
Cory Leppa of DSCP Certified General Accountants said their business was not especially affected, since they do not rely on walk-ins. Mike “Jelly” Thorne, owner/operator for The Chad Smokeshop 420 said he's glad he stayed open for the summer since business has been a lot more brisk than he had feared.
Cracks in the sidewalk have been replaced and minor updates will continue until the end of September, as landscaping, wiring, painting and other elements are completed, according to the town.
Terry Ell, utilities supervisor with the Town of Innisfail says the reconstruction was necessary to bringing facilities into the modern era.
“This is our main sewage trunk line,” he said. “Half the town feeds into it.”
The water and sewer mains went in first, about six weeks after the job started, and everything since has been aesthetic construction, he said.
“Only a third of it's done,” he said. “We still have two steps to go.”
The town is considering completing the remaining sections in one go, he said.
“All the laterals that feed into the main line are clay tile. It's all busted up and fractured,” he said. “Our flows go way up.”
