Collingwood is getting more bang for its buck.
Phase 1 can go ahead because Council has awarded the contract to a local business, Georgian Paving and Construction, which will do the work for just over 4.8 million dollars.
The original estimate for just the first phase was 7 million so now council will ask the contractor to do another 2.1 million dollars worth of work which includes phase 2.
Phase One includes widening the sidewalks along Hurontario Street and moving patios curbside to give people a straight, unobstructed path to walk on.
Phase Two includes work on a number of downtown side streets including Pine Street from First to Third Streets and Ontario/Third Street from Saint Marie Street to Pine.
Executive Director of Public Works for the town, Ed Houghton, says 2 million dollars for phase two is much better than more than 9 million the work was originally estimated at.
Houghton says the downtown is already great, but it will now be even better.
The project also calls for upgrades to aging traffic and street lights and things like benches and trash cans.
Two million is coming from both the provincial and federal governments with the Business Improvement Association pitching in one million so the town will pay the last 2 million.
Houghton says work at Second and Simcoe Street and the middle section of Hurontario Street in front of town hall could happen this fall with the 2nd and 3rd blocks done in April and May and the ribbon cutting of the main part of the project will be on July 1st, 2010.
Some people have expressed concerns over the Liquor Control Board saying you can’t serve alcohol on patios that aren’t connected to the restaurant. The License Act says there has to be a wet bar in the patio enclosure.
Town staff will be meeting with the business owners during the week of October 5th to discuss the issues so council will have more information to make a decision on how to solve the problem.
The first of the work on the downtown revitalization is expected to start in a couple of weeks.