Rob Collins has been running his business on the corner of Cassells and Princess Street for more than 15 years.
Collins owns the Ultimate Sportscards hockey card and sports memorabilia store.
He never imagined business would become this bad. He says the recent construction on Cassells Street has completely cut off all his clientele from his store.
“I think the fact that they blocked all the roads off and they put local traffic only with big barricades so the people that are coming to the business they are calling and saying, ‘Rob I can’t get through, it says local traffic only,’” said Collins.
“I know the city put up these small signs but they put it on where it says detour. So people go down the detour and the detour just goes around everything it does not lead to any of our stores or anything like that.”
Collins is one of three small businesses that have been impacted by the Cassells construction which started in July.
Collins is also frustrated with the lack of communication he has had with the city about the construction work. At this time, all he has received is letters in his mailbox explaining the process.
“No city worker has entered my store to say anything so there has been no dialogue, absolutely no dialogue in regards to the business itself being there,” admitted Collins, who noted construction is not even taking place yet on his portion of Cassells Street.
See related: Cassells closed for construction
“I do not think there is any concern for the three little businesses over here. I don’t think the City cares. It is pretty obvious, right?”
BayToday reached out to the City of North Bay about Collins’ situation. The City released a statement regarding the Cassells Street business owners concerns.
“We understand that it can be frustrating for drivers, business owners, and residents when roads are closed to accommodate construction,” the City release states.
“The City works to mitigate disruptions caused by this type of work by reviewing projects and holding information open houses before any work takes place so that affected property owners and the general public have an opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns. We also ensure that advance notices of construction activity are delivered to nearby properties. Signage for businesses located in the section of Cassells Street now under construction has been placed along the detour route and we will be looking today at placing additional signage at the road closure blockades on Cassells Street. The City takes the concerns of all those impacted by the reconstruction of Cassells Street seriously and will work with them on addressing any outstanding concerns.”
Collins says he has seen a significant decrease in business and has even had to look at the possibility of cutting hours to his full-time employee.
“Our summertime is traditionally extremely busy with all the campers and all the people that come to the north. It is one of the busiest times, which is the months of July and August with the people from out of town. I think, literally, we have seen about four or five of the regular people compared to, normally you see about 30 to 50 of the regular people from out of town, so it is a huge decrease,” said Collins.
Collins realizes that the construction and expansion of lanes on Cassells will eventually be good news for his business.
“When all is said and done, we will have four lanes, there will be more traffic, more visibility and they will make our front yard look pretty again so it is a positive thing I just do not like all these barricades everywhere.”
He hopes with some better signage this short term pain will lead to long term gain in the long run.
