Redeveloped public space on Saint John waterfront won’t be done until April 2024

The redeveloped public space along the Saint John, N.B., waterfront, which will be called Ihtoli-maqahamok meaning “the gathering space” in the Wolastoqey language, won’t be ready by the end of 2023 as initially promised.

On Monday Saint John’s commissioner of utilities and infrastructure Ian Fogan presented an update to city council detailing unexpected delays and supply chain issues that have led to the project hitting a snag. Fogan is hopeful to have everything completed by the end of April 2024.

“I think we are getting quite used to delays, but we are starting to see those types of things come down and materials arrive on time again,” says Fogan, who is hopeful this will be the last delay in a project that first began in 2022. “I think we are at the tail end of all these material supply chain issues.”

“We may have one component, the skating surface, that could be used in the winter time but there are other components that aren’t ready and won’t be ready until the spring,” continues Fogan. “The thought is to wait and have it all ready at the same time.”

The skating rink may be finished, but work on the ice plant continues, and a small building to house an ice resurfacer for the ice pad still needs to be built.

Another reason the skating rink won’t open is because the space is needed for the materials to construct the all-season patios for the restaurants inside Market Square. The plan originally was for the patios to have an open concept, which was changed mid-project in favour of glassed-in patios that can be used 12 months of the year.

The patio structures are suppose to arrive this week following a month-long delay due to supply chain issues according to Fogan. The contractors are on site preparing for their arrival, but even once they do arrive, work on getting them put into place won’t begin likely until the new year.

“Just like you and I, they are going to want to take a break at Christmas,” says Fogan of the workers heading into the holidays. “So really most of the installation won’t happen until January and February.”

The patio delays are the latest blow for those restaurants, who over the last four years have had to deal with COVID constraints and now construction. Fogan says the patios will be expensive to heat in the winter months, and believes the restaurants weren’t looking forward to that extra cost after the past few years.

“They are really looking at summer,” Fogan says of the Market Square restaurants. “They want to have a full summer right from May on where they can start to recover some of those cost they have been under the last couple of years. I wouldn’t say it is frustration I would say its nervousness. They are really nervous in making sure that we are ready for them in summer.”

City Councillor David Hickey says he will be pushing council for some sort of rent break or compensation for those restaurants who have been strained by factors out of there control for a number of years.

“The key is that we come out with that as soon as possible,” Hickey says. “So restaurants know, business plans are in, and next year’s budget is able to come together with clarity and expectation and there is more predictability for those small business owners.”

Other areas still needing work include painting of the Harbour Passage, and additional planting along the walking trail. The tidal steps ran into delays with the existing underground infrastructure which required a redesign of the space. Those steps are expected to take a month long then the rest of the work and will open in May 2024.

The stage has also undergone some reimagining. The stage was pushed back and centred to ensure optimal views for anyone sitting on a patio of one of the Market Square restaurants. The stage could also include screens on either side to hold big shows and concerts during the summer months.

“I think it will lead to instead of performances for a couple thousand, they could be room for performances of a couple thousand in that space which the restaurant’s in Market Square would be ecstatic at,” says Fogan.

The overall cost of the project is around $20 million, with nearly a third of that cost being covered by funding from other levels of government. An analysis of the budget is currently being completed.

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