Water Street delay good news for business, says Downtown St. John's

The City of St. John's decided to delay the major repair job in downtown St. John's until spring 2017, and businesses in the downtown area are thrilled. 

The work on the 100-year-old water and sewer systems on Water Street was projected to take five years to complete. It would require ripping up the entire length of the street.

Gaylynne Lambert, spokesperson for Downtown St. John's, said the initial plan came as quite a shock to businesses in the downtown and the postponement was welcomed.

"We're thrilled actually," said Lambert. "This is the best possible news that we could have received."

Lambert added businesses felt ignored and weren't given enough time to prepare for the disruption. As a result, business owners formed a committee to ensure council heard their concerns.

"We've worked very well with the city and they've heard very loud and clear the voices of downtown business owners," said Lambert.

"They have assured us going forward, in the future, that they will consult business through this committee."

Everyone has same goal

The city said the decision to delay the project wasn't made just because of push back from business owners but was also due to the complexity of the  project.

Coun. Dave Lane said it was imperative to take more time and work through all the details.

"Basically the message was that we need a year to plan this out to make sure we have all the details in place to make sure that everyone is on the same page," said Lane.

Meanwhile, Lambert said businesses are confident this arrangement will work because everyone involved has the same goal.

"Everybody wants to see this a successful project," said Lambert. "It's a fantastic example of what co-operation between the private industry and municipal government can accomplish."