FALL RIVER: The president of the Fall River and Area Business Association (FRABA) believes bringing city water along Highway 2 will only benefit businesses, several who are members, on that stretch.
Faye Coady was responding to news that HRM will indeed be doing the Fall River water project as a whole, as Councillor Steve Streatch had been pushing HRM to do since he was elected in October.
Liberal MP Darrell Samson had told The Laker in a previous story that the federal funding for the project was to bring it just down Fall River Road to Hwy 2/Sobeys. However, Streatch said based on costing estimates from an engineering study, which will be released to the community at a Feb. 13 public meeting, it appears it will cost just under $8 million to do it as one phase.
Coady believes the business community will reap the rewards of being able to connect to city water.
“I think in order for the business community to grow, it was definitely needed,” said Coady on Feb. 3. “Without question, it was great news. I think a lot of the owners on the stretch of Hwy 2 down to the 102 will be very pleased when they hear about this.
Streatch said he thinks there will be enormous gains not only for residents, but also to the businesses in Fall River.
“We have several businesses, such as Burgess Garage, the new family restaurant/pub and Fall River Guardian and others on Hwy 2 that will benefit from this project,” he said.
Coady said she isn’t sure if getting water down Hwy 2 included would have been possible without the foresight and workmanship that Streatch put in.
“It was his knowledge of the whole system and his background that allowed all of this to happen,” said Coady. “I don’t know if somebody that didn’t have that kind of exposure in the past if they would have been able to navigate through the system like he did.”
She said said FRABA members put in a lot of work to see what might be required of its members along Hwy 2 to see the project become a reality.
“In order for us to get the services that we need to continue growing and service this bedroom community, we need growth and it was very difficult for any one to grow without water,” Coady said.
phealey@enfieldweeklypress.com
