in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 26 ,2 02 0 | 10 oakville.ca W at er S t 11B 11A 10 Tr af al g ar R d D u n n S t G eo rg e St Th o m as S t N av y St Lakeshore Rd E Robinson St 21 15 16 7 5 Randall St 14 Church St Downtown Oakville Parking Kerr Village Parking 12 17 Westside Dr Herald Ave Washington Ave Florence Dr Deane Ave N orma ndy Pl K er r St R ey n o ld s St 8 Church St A lla n StRandall St Overnight holiday parking made easy Downtown Oakville and Kerr Village During this holiday season, if you are going out for a late dinner or drinks, you can leave your car at a town-owned parking lot between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. for no charge. This service is available at all Downtown and Kerr Village town parking lots, with the exception of the 300 Church Street Parkade, from November 28, 2020 until January 4, 2021. Please follow all current Public Health guidelines when dining out or socializing in Oakville's establishments. Need more time? Use the HonkMobile app to pay for any extra time you need past 9 a.m. For more information Visit the parking page on oakville.ca replace the roadbed, which was approaching the end of its ser- vice life. News of the reopening was well received by Paul Barring- ton, owner of Barrington's in downtown Oakville. His business was most im- pacted during Phase 1 of the pro- ject, which saw construction along Lakeshore Road between Navy and Dunn streets from April to Nov. 2019. "Obviously this is what we need, and we're thrilled to be able to have the whole street open," said Barrington. "The sidewalks being nice and wide now are terrific given the current COVID-19 situation. The planters look wonderful. I think they've done a really great job." Downtown Oakville Busi- ness Improvement Association (BIA) executive director Adrienne Gordon said the BIA is excited about road opening and is hopeful that, within CO- VID-19 parameters, people will come and experience their hometown's newly opened downtown. Oakville Chamber of Com- merce president Drew Redden also weighed in on the road opening. "It is certainly welcome news for business owners, employees and residents that the construc- tion in downtown Oakville is fi- nally coming to an end," he said. "It has been a challenging few years for businesses on Lakeshore. Now, more than ev- er, our local small businesses need our support and with the downtown construction com- pleted just in time for holiday shopping, it will be easier to shop local." During a Monday, Nov. 16 council meeting, the Town's di- rector of engineering and con- struction, Jill Stephen, dis- cussed the completion of Phase 2 of the project, which started in early January and saw the re- construction of Lakeshore Road from Dunn to Allan streets. Stephen noted the project al- so involved the construction of new sidewalks, boulevards and parking areas, as well as the in- stallation of new street lights, traffic signals, pedestrian crossovers and street furniture. New sewers were built under Thomas Street, Trafalgar Road, Reynolds Street, and under Lakeshore Road itself. Water mains and other ser- vices were also replaced and new features including electric vehicle charging stations were added. "As of today, the under- ground work is complete, the road is paved, the sidewalks and boulevards are done, the street lights are in, the trees have been planted and the majority of the line painting is now in place," said Stephen. The reconstruction did come at a cost for many downtown businesses. During a Feb. 24 delegation before council, then-Downtown Oakville BIA executive director Sharlene Plewman said busi- nesses were having multiple days with zero customers. Some downtown businesses such as Hot Oven Bakery, Ricar- da's and Mendocino, did not sur- vive, though it should be noted all these businesses closed in the wake of the COVID-19 re- strictions and lockdown. When asked if the project was worth the disruption it caused, Barrington said he believes it was. "When all the dust settles and people are able to go through and park and walk, and certain- ly when the health situation is corrected, I think this is really going to be a terrific destina- tion," he said. While he likes what he sees, Barrington says he remains convinced the reconstruction work could have been done more quickly, thereby minimiz- ing some of the pain the down- town community went through. The Downtown Oakville BIA also wanted a quicker recon- struction time with a comple- tion date of Sept. 1, 2020. During the Phase 2 construc- tion period, Stephen said oppor- tunities to shave time off the project schedule were limited. She noted the skilled labour- ers needed for the project are in high demand and short supply, and as such, the contractor could not simply hire more peo- ple who had the availability, training and experience need- ed. While Lakeshore Road is open, some construction work in the area will continue. Trafalgar Road, north of Lakeshore Road to Church Street, will be closed for the next two weeks for work related to the installation of permanent traffic signals. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Sections of Lakeshore Road in downtown Oakville have been closed due to con- struction for much of the last two years, negatively impacting local businesses. We wanted to let the public know that con- struction is now largely com- pleted and the road is open. We also wanted to hear the reaction of the local business community. NEWS Continued from page 1 OPPORTUNITIES TO COMPLETE WORK SOONER LIMITED: TOWN DIRECTOR Lakeshore Road officially opened with balloons and a socially-distanced ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the first vehicles have begun to use the new and improved roadway. Graham Paine/Torstar