After pushback, new schedule will see water main work end June 13 instead of July 1.
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Restaurant, café and bar owners in Little Burgundy are happy that the city has agreed to speed up work this spring on Notre-Dame St. so it will allow them to open their terrasses earlier than expected. The work to repair a water main under Notre-Dame will begin as expected on April 10 but will now wrap on June 13 instead of July 1, which was the original end date.
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The resto, cafe and bar owners were furious when they first heard of the construction project. They felt the timing was horrible given that their establishments are just coming out of two years of major financial hardship as a result of the pandemic.
“We came to an agreement,” said Toby Lyle, one of the owners of the Burgundy Lion pub. “They told me this last week. Also for 14 years we’ve been trying to get a fair going street and they said we could do it this summer. Being done by June 13 is definitely better. We only lose, call it a month, since mid-May is when the weather is good enough for terrasses. There was a bit of pressure on them and they responded.”
Lyle said that he has spoken with the owners and/or managers from Joe Beef, Liverpool House, Pizzeria Geppetto, September Café and Beige, and they all agreed this is the best solution to what he calls “a necessary evil.”
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In a statement the city said the deal “is the fruit of an excellent dialogue between the Sud Ouest borough and the business owners. … The administration is listening to the needs and concerns of the citizens and business owners. We will make sure there’s good communication with them before, during and after the construction work to make sure the problems are kept to a minimum for the businesses and the residents.”
The city said there will be events in Vinet Park for the Montréal Complètement Cirque festival, with acrobatic shows from July 7-17.