The nearly seven-year Chatham condo project, which was set to be open this Christmas, is being delayed even further until the summer.
Work began on the ‘Boardwalk on the Thames’ condominium in Downtown Chatham in 2010 and was previously expected to wrap up by December.
Site Supervisor Brian Chute says there are many reasons why the condo is behind schedule.
"We were behind schedule on our elevator. We have an elevator in the front now. We're also delivering drywall daily. Probably about 1,500 sheets of drywall per floor. A lot is happening right now. It doesn't appear to be moving as quick as some people would like, but there are some unusual construction techniques being used," says Chute.
Chute refers to his boss Victor Boutin, who is the developer of the condo, as a trendsetter in the architectural community. He says Boutin is working on adding stand-out features to the condo, like installing unique balconies and adding a brick-like stucco to the exterior of building.
He says the company behind the project, the Everlast Group, also has many other projects to focus on.
"The Everlast Group, fortunately for us, is in the midst of many projects world-wide at the moment. We have also have three other major projects scheduled for Chatham-Kent in the near future," says Chute.
Chute says projects, which are currently on hold in Chatham, include two new buildings at the former Chatham Daily News site and construction on the former YMCA site in early spring.
He says Everlast's investments also have a lot to do with logistics of travel. Chute says the hold on many of the projects in Chatham has a lot to do with Hwy. 401 and the construction on Hwy. 40, which he says is a big problem for people travelling through Chatham-Kent.
"What we are hoping for is that the municipality is on the right track. We hope they're getting ready to try their best to open up the 401 at Queen St. I can tell you for sure that if that were to happen in a timely manner, the projects that we unfortunately have on temporary hold will be taken off hold and then we'll start progressing forward," says Chute.
Chute says the number one reason for Everlast to invest in Chatham-Kent is its close proximity to Hwy. 401 and the Detroit border.
"We need to position ourselves as a community searching for investment. We need to open up the 401 at Queen St. and we need to draw business to Chatham-Kent. Certainly our company is looking forward to that and we're gambling that that will be someday happen," says Chute.
Chute says Everlast is always moving forward with investments in Chatham, but the speed of its movement relies upon the improvement of Hwy. 401 access to downtown Chatham.