Businesses urging customers to return as downtown construction hits one month mark in Goderich

Part of Goderich’s Courthouse Square is under construction, which is impacting the number of visitors to the famed downtown, as seen on June 10. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

A lot’s been accomplished in the past month, since work started on Goderich’s Courthouse Square. But the bulldozers and dump trucks have certainly kept some people from venturing downtown.

“The traffic has slowed down, because people are thinking that things are not open on the Square, considering that we have all the fences up and whatnot,” said Jenny Iles, from the Den Juice Co.

The $11 million project to replace 100-year-old water and sewer pipes under Courthouse Square in Goderich has closed down vehicular traffic for about a quarter of the square and it’s a little louder downtown, but every single downtown business is still open, said Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet.

“Yes, there’s construction downtown. Yes, it’s a little disruptive, but you can still come downtown. You can drive three quarters of the square if you want as well. You can walk the entire square still,” said Bazinet.

Bazinet said Goderich’s downtown stores need support now more than ever, because this is just year one of a two-year project that will see a quarter of Goderich’s famed Courthouse Square roadway ripped up at a time.

“We had the Pride Festival here on Saturday, and there were people everywhere enjoying themselves, just like there was no construction. So, please come to our downtown. Our businesses need to see you,” said Bazinet.

While Goderich’s core businesses understand that the work needs to be done, no one is happy about the obvious disruption that it’s clearly having on their bottom lines.

“We completely understand that the work has to be done. If you look outside at some of the pipes that they have extracted, looks like it was due for them to come out,” said John de Jager from De Jager Pharmacy in Goderich.

“It’s work that needs to be done, for sure. I mean, we want to grow Goderich and the population, and there’s infrastructure work that needs to be done. So just, you know, rolling with it,” said Tim Damon, from the Den Juice Co.

“Is it something that we want to do? No, we don’t want to do it, but it has to be done. We have to replace these things over time. It is going to be a painful process, but we just want to continue to send that message that the businesses are open and it is safe to be up here,” said Mayor Bazinet.

Construction is expected to be completed on Goderich’s Courthouse Square over the next two years, with the final top coat of asphalt laid down in 2027, in time for the town’s Bicentennial. You can follow weekly progress on the project by visiting the Town of Goderich’s website.