Major construction work through the heart of Essex has left affected businesses under financial strain due to lost customers. In August, the town began construction on the problematic Maidstone Avenue and Talbot Street North intersection. Expected to last into November, or possibly later, the work doesn’t allow through access and requires drivers to take a detour. At Billys Taphouse, only steps away from the project, the disruptions have taken a toll on its typical lunch rush. “So once that intersection got shut down, right away, our lunch sales just took a nosedive,” said Doug Kalapos, the restaurant’s owner. Kalapos said the business has seen a 20 per cent dip in its lunch hour sales. In response, the business was forced to cut down on serving staff during that period and reduce hours for some staff. Often a spot for workers now on the other side of construction, Kalapos said they don’t have enough time on their limited breaks to make it there and back. “It might add six or seven minutes each way, which doesn’t seem like a ton … It’s not worth it for the people to try to race for lunch; they’re already racing for lunch,” he said. CTV News spoke with other businesses in the area who said they’ve seen similar hits to their bottom lines and are thankful for the loyal customers who continue to support them. Since construction started, Kalapos said he’s reached out to the municipality to ask why periods of the work don’t include limited access for drivers to get through. “So maybe once the underground work is done, maybe that’s three weeks, maybe that’s a month, whatever it takes, and then maybe it’s closed for that time, but maybe you can have three months where you have a lane way,” he said. In other major county infrastructure projects, Kalapos noted there’s been periodic access to the road depending on the stage of construction. In future, he hopes the town will consider offers for projects to include access and no access to the roadway, with all costs considered. “You have to account for disruption cost, not just the cost on the piece of paper for the tender you did,” Kalapos said. In response to the financial losses by businesses, the Essex BIA has launched a new initiative they hope will inspire customers to return to their favourite affected spots. Announced this week, the Worth The Drive Community Passport encourages consumers to visit impacted Essex Centre businesses where they can pick up a passport and collect a stamp. Once they’ve collected five stamps, Stephanie Winger, the BIA’s Board Chair, said they will be entered into a weekly draw of two $50 prizes of BIA Bucks. “What’s great about that is they can spend them anywhere in town,” she said. “So really letting people know that it might only be an extra two or five minutes to get to your destination, and that it is worth coming out here.” The initiative also includes a social media portion where residents can submit entries as a bonus. At the end, the BIA will hand out three prizes of $500 in BIA Bucks. Winger said they heard immediate uproar from businesses when the construction began. In one case, she said a business was down $10,000 in revenue in the first week. “It’s affecting everybody, and those business owners, they shop in town, and they have families to feed, so it does have that trickle-down effect, so supporting local is still super important,” she added. Encouraged by the overall direction of the town, Kalapos said he hopes to see Essex’s momentum continue but wants this project to be a learning experience. In the meantime, he added, they will continue to rely on the loyal customers that have supported them for 28 years. “It’s beyond amazing the support we get through COVID, through when they shut the town down to do all the beautification projects downtown; it really is. They’re why we’re here. But the town has to work in tandem with the community,” Kalapos said. Work on the intersection will include new dedicated turn lanes, modern traffic signals, a new sidewalk, underground infrastructure updates, new street lighting and more.
