No apologies from city for Elgin tragedy, says business owner

There were no apologies when Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger and senior city officials met with business owners affected by ongoing construction on Elgin Street, and a recent death at the site, said one of the entrepreneurs in attendance.

“No one said sorry, no one said, 'Is there anything we can do to help?'” said Evelyn Davie, the owner of the Stage & Street theatre and dance supplies store on Elgin Street.

Davie had long been frustrated at the slow pace of construction on the street, which began in May 2015 and had only started to accelerate around the time a 58-year-old woman was struck and killed by a construction grader on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Davie and five other business owners on the street met with the city Wednesday afternoon to share their safety concerns, and how the ongoing construction has affected their businesses.

At least one store on the block, Fiorino's at the Port, reportedly closed its doors in late September, due in part to a steep decline in walk-in customers to do the construction, Davie said.

The Christ the King apartment building also closed its cafe on the main floor, and has struggled to attract new tenants due to difficult access.

Davie said the city “passed the buck” to the contractor it had hired for the project, Interpaving Limited. “Who was making sure they were following these guidelines?” Davie asked. “No answer.”

But Davie said the city promised it would look into safety at the construction site – where work resumed on Oct. 6 – and make sure any necessary changes were made.

“We are committed to looking at ways to improve pedestrian access that is accessible, to improve communications with businesses in the area, to look at the timing associated with the project and how we can assist in mitigating some of the challenges the businesses and residents face during construction projects,” Mayor Bigger said in a written statement. “The city has been working with the businesses and will continue to do so.”

Thursday afternoon extra-duty police officers were at the site to help direct traffic and ensure public safety.

The city is expected to have more regular meetings with the Downtown Business Improvement Area in the coming weeks, Davie said.