City crews respond to a recent water main break on Elgin Street.
Businesses on Elgin Street are claiming damages from the city after a water main broke, causing severe flooding.
“Everyone is putting in an individual claim,” says Jim Bickford, co-owner of Fresco Bistro Italiano. “If they all get denied, then we’ll sue the city collectively.”
Bickford estimates his restaurant lost about $10,000 from the 115 reservations he had to cancel, in addition to the business from walk-in customers.
The water main broke early in the morning on Jan. 18, shutting down businesses between Somerset Street West and Cooper Street for the entire day. It was the second water-main break in four days.
Oz Kafé, located at Elgin and Waverley streets, had to close when the first water main broke on Jan. 14, but remained open on Jan. 18, says Alex Scott, an Oz Kafé employee.
Scott says the first water main break affected businesses on the south end of Elgin street, while the second water main break affected businesses on the north end.
Christa Blaszyczyk, co-owner of the magazine shop Mags and Fags, says she was in her store at 6:30 a.m. when the water main burst.
There wasn’t much water damage to her products, as she was able to pick up anything in the path of the flooding, but there was a definite loss in revenue, she says
“We do depend on walk-in traffic,” she says.
Reconstruction of the water mains on Elgin is projected to start in 2014. The cost of replacing the infrastructure, in place since 1874, is about $30 million.
The breaks might encourage the construction to be moved to this summer, says Blaszyczyk.
The project will close the street for repairs, which will affect business.
“As long as they’re keeping sidewalks accessible, we should be okay,” says Blaszyczyk. “It will deter people looking for parking. It depends on how accessible we remain and how long it is.”
Both Bickford and Blaszyczyk say they are unsure how the construction will affect their businesses, but that they will adjust according to the length and extent of the project.
Over the past year, businesses in the Glebe changed their store hours and number of staff to get through the lengthy road construction on Bank Street.
Bickford says he doesn’t think businesses on Elgin Street will be as affected as those in the Glebe.
“The Glebe seems easier to forget than Elgin Street. Elgin’s more of a main arterial road and it’s connected to the city in a more linear way,” he says.
The Glebe doesn’t have the nightlife that Elgin has, either, he says.
Bickford says this is not the first time he has filed a claim for damages from the city. Earlier this year, he says his restaurant had a sewage blockage caused by a sewer lateral that slipped out of position because it wasn’t in line with the city sewage pipes.
“That was 10,000 bucks cash, not 10,000 in revenue. We had to pay labour, expenses,” says Bickford. “We had to swallow that. And now more than likely they’re going to deny responsibility for this too, even though this is the second main to blow on the street in less than two days.”