Regina restaurant speaks out over construction woes

The tables are set, the cupcake case is full, and workers are busy in the kitchen, but on Friday all that can be seen out the front window of Fresh & Sweet on Victoria Avenue is a big fence and large trucks.

Since the work started on Victoria Avenue east of Albert Street in the first week of July, the restaurant has been nearly boxed in by construction.

“I own the place and it’s frustrating for me to get here, so I know that that’s going to have an effect on my customers,” explained Beata Kowalski, one of the owners of the restaurant.

She said the restaurant got notice ahead of time that the construction would be happening, and Kowalski said progress is good, but it’s close to cutting off access to her business.

“We’ve been doing OK, but we’re really struggling and fighting to make it OK at this point. It’s near impossible to get to us, so we are just constantly talking to our customers and trying to get people in the doors,” said Kowalski.

By car, the only way to get close to Fresh & Sweet and park is by heading west on Victoria Avenue and taking a right onto McIntyre, which is a one-way street. Coming from any other direction would require some walking, but even pedestrian access is limited.

Kowalski said it’s especially stressful when you’re a business that employs 40 people.

“This is their full-time job, this is what’s paying their rent,” she said. “We need to keep going, we need to be open, and they need to have a job.”

Reached out for help

She has reached out to the City of Regina, saying Coun. Andrew Stevens has been awesome about trying to get something to happen, but even he hasn’t been able to make any changes.

“It’s really bothersome that there’s zero consideration for small businesses when things like this happen. And the lack of response to it is really unbelievable,” said Kowalski.

The city said it expects the project to be finished in mid-October, so Kowalski still has weeks ahead of limited access to her restaurant.

Right now the business has cute or humorous signs up around the construction, letting people know that Fresh & Sweet is still open and how to get to it. But this isn’t the first time the signs have been used.

Kowalski said the restaurant has been boxed in twice before because of construction on the other side of her building, at the Capital Pointe property. That hole is being filled in right now, a project which is also expected to be finished in October.

The City of Regina

Mayor Michael Fougere, speaking on The Greg Morgan Morning Show at the end of August, said from the perspective of businesses in that area, the construction project wasn’t handled properly.

“However, we have to get this work done,” he said.

He explained the crews are beautifying the area, by working on underground infrastructure and fixing sidewalks.

“This is a gateway to our downtown, we have to make sure this is in top form,” said Fougere.

He said if there’s a way the city can alleviate issues for the businesses, then it will try to do that — and Kowalski has some ideas.

She wants the city to make a left turn onto McIntyre accessible from eastbound Victoria Avenue. She said turning McIntyre into a two-way street would also help.

Kowalski also said she’d want to talk to the city about biting off only what it can chew.

“I think the whole city is frustrated with the situation with construction and how slow things are going, and how impossible it is to get anywhere,” she said.

The city won’t be done on Victoria Avenue after this fall; another construction project will happen next year a few blocks away.