Mahone Bay, N.S., shops struggle amid year-long construction project

Ongoing construction is impacting businesses in Mahone Bay, N.S.

Edgewater Street in Mahone Bay, N.S., is under construction as upgrades to its sewer and stormwater systems are underway. It’s a project Mayor Suzanne Lohnes-Croft says has been in the works for years and it’s the biggest one they have ever done in this area.

“We have funding for $10 million externally for this project that came in this year. Everything aligned, it’s been a long time coming. It’s necessary from an asset management point of view. We have very old infrastructure, we have to keep up with what the climate change needs are for our town,” says Lohnes-Croft.

The project itself will take about a year to complete and is expected to cost between $13 and $14 million. It includes upgrades to the town’s existing services and extends them to Kedy’s Landing, near Exit 10.

It will eliminate the existing straight pipes to protect the harbour. The plan will also revitalize public space and improve active transportation, accessibility and safety.

The street has been torn up for several months and many businesses on the street say they are feeling the impact.

“I think it’s safe to say that business is down 30 to 40 per cent because there just isn’t the foot traffic that you would typically have. It’s tourist town, tourist time, and there just aren’t that many tourists,” says Jennifer Buchanan, director of sales and marketing for Buchanans House of Music. “We happen to be in the chunk of the rerouted section, so we don’t get the tour buses, the RVS.”

The business is also concerned about the dust. They’ve been forced to bring in clothing that would normally be outside on display and they are constantly cleaning the musical instruments.

“It’s dusty, there’s like one word to describe it as you can feel it, it’s in the air. It’s frustrating, it’s certainly not nearly as busy as it has been,” says Buchanan.

Jo-Ann’s Market normally has fresh fruit and vegetables outside on display for customers, but this year they have had to bring them inside.

“The dust has prevented us from utilizing the fresh fruit and vegetables because we can’t put them out,” says Scott Myers, owner of Jo-Ann’s Market.

During a normal tourist season, Myers said they make hundreds of thousands of dollars, but so far this season, it’s down about 50 per cent.

“Loss of profit, loss of jobs. We have at least 30 per cent less staff than we normally would have. So that’s local people working and staying in the town,” says Myers. “The areas that they currently have closed off is where the bus tours would typically stop but the tours from what I understand have cancelled their stops there until the construction is over.”

Lohnes-Croft says she has seen buses coming into town and it seems busy to her, whether it’s local or tourist traffic. She emphasizes there are spaces for tour buses to drop off visitors and her team has reached out to the companies to suggest options.

“We would normally get tour buses constantly, they would park up by the three churches or by Rebecca’s restaurant and they are the lifeblood of the tourists that come here. We have been told that they have all been for obvious reasons rerouted around so they will go straight to Lunenburg,” says Buchanan.

Businesses like Buchanans House of Music feel compensation of some kind is necessary.

Lohnes-Croft explains this is out of the municipality’s control as it comes down to the province.

“That can only be done through our provincial government through compensation. Currently there is no compensation that the municipalities can do, that’s why we are trying to help with signage and parking and trying to do little things to make things a little easier,” says Lohnes-Croft.

The construction is expected to be completed by December.

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