A number of retailers on Sherbrooke St. in NDG are becoming increasingly frustrated with the pace of sewer repair work in their neighbourhood.
For years, the neighbourhood south of Sherbrooke St. has been plagued by flooding, and while most agree work needs to be done, retailers wish the stretch torn up between Decarie Blvd. and Vendome Ave. could be repaired by now, several weeks after it began.
They also wonder why machines are sitting idle.
“There are some days that you don't see anybody working,” said Hank Teav of local bakery Yuki Boulangerie, adding that it’s hurting business.
“There's less traffic for sure. A lot of people don't want to come in this neighbourhood. They try to avoid. They think it's a big chaos,” he said.
Tony Petsoulakis at Boucherie Westmount, the bakery next door, said the same.
“We are losing a little bit of business. I do see it because some of my customers are saying, ‘I can't come here,’” he said.
“There are two people working there right now - three people. The tractors are idle. Let's get going. Make them work on the weekend, pay them double overtime,” he said.
The borough mayor says the delay is due to unforeseen work required on electrical conduits.
"There is a slowdown this week because of this issue but we'll be back up, I hope, to full strength next week,” said NDG-Cote-des-Neiges Borough Mayor Russell Copeman.
The work is scheduled to continue right through June, however, which is not great news for the largely seasonal business at Olivier La Roche’s bike shop Giant Montreal.
“It's the beginning of the season and we should be, a little bit better off than we are right now,” he said, using banners outside to try to overcome the construction outside.
Despite sales and advertising banners outside the store it's tough to overcome this.
“We try to do our best. We have parking in the back of the building, we put up flags, we were trying to do some events over Facebook and the Internet to at least bring the people in but of course, nobody is passing by,” he said.
La Roche said he’s making his sales where he can, however.
“It's a funny story,” he said. “All the construction guys came to us to buy bikes, so at least they support us.”
