New Preston Street Just Around The Corner |
Date Posted: Wednesday, October 21, 2009.jpg&boxheight=200&boxwidth=200 "Preston Street will be up and running again soon!") As part of the construction project, new, wider sidewalks and concrete are now being put in place, and the beginnings of the new Preston Street are coming together. “The next stage is putting in the curbing—which is very exciting, because we’ll begin to see the street take shape,” said Lori Mellor, Executive Director of the Preston Street Business Improvement Association. Customers on their way to Preston Hardware simply have to follow the signs of cartoon Italian Chef Luigi and enter from Rochester Street to get to Canada’s largest independent hardware store. Joey Frangione, Assistant Store Manager at Preston Hardware, said that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. “Our store-front is looking much better than a month ago,” he said. “We’re looking forward to having our street back in the near future.” Over the course of the construction, Little Italy will be outfitted with wider sidewalks, a promenade-full of new trees and comfortable benches, all to make the street a more pleasant place to shop, walk, or live. “We’re going to end up with a European-style urban village,” Lori said. “It will be a much more pedestrian-friendly streetscape than we’ve had in the past.” Parts of Preston Street have been closed periodically since April to allow construction and upgrades on the street’s 100-year-old water pipes. For the past several months, Chef Luigi has guided visitors around the construction and to nearby businesses. “We’re taking back the street. We’re going to create a nice place to come and to stroll, stop for a gelato, and step into the hardware store,“ Lori added. Businesses all along Preston Street will be open throughout the winter while the construction work on the ‘new’ Preston Street is wrapping up. |
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