Construction brewing!

As Creemore Springs Brewery embarks on a second year-long expansion, it is taking steps to reduce disruption on Mill Street.

On June 1, the Brewery will begin constructing a new retail store, maintenance area, laboratory and staff room, plus a board room that will be available for community use at its current site.

Initially, this will require heavy equipment to access the site to excavate foundations, pour concrete and place steel until the middle of June.

“Due to their large size, some vehicles will have to enter the work site through Mill Street,” said Geoff Davies, Head of Operations at Creemore Springs Brewery. “However, Creemore Springs will strive to minimize the frequency of such access.”

While summer in Creemore is a season that many feel could do without a construction site on the main street, Davies said the Brewery planned to start the construction at this time to increase efficiency.

For one, the better weather will help increase productivity, he said. As well, truckload weights (which are restricted in winter and spring to protect roads) are no longer limited in the summer.

With construction starting in June, trucks will be able to carry more to the construction site at one time, instead of making multiple trips, Davies explained.

“Half-load restrictions increase the number of truck movements in and out of the site,” Davies said. “If we had started in March, then the disruption would have been significantly longer.”

Davies said the brewery is taking steps to lessen the disruption to its neighbours. This includes erecting a temporary fence to separate construction activities from Mill Street. There will also be a fence along the west side of the sidewalk from the northwest corner of the warehouse to the southwest corner of the existing brick brewery building, and a barrier to separate pedestrians from traffic.

“It is inevitable that some things are going to happen, but you have to be responsive,” said Davies. “We are trying to find the way to be the most efficient and provide the least obstruction. We are going to do the best we can.”

Once the structural steel is in place, construction work will be staged in the west side of the south parking lot. Access to the work area will be through the west side, inside the fence.

All other construction traffic will be required to enter the site through the existing Elizabeth Street entrance, Davies said.

Chef Caesar Guinto, who co-owns Creemore Kitchen across the street from the brewery, is concerned about the effect the construction could have on his business.

In particular, four parking spots on Mill Street, will be lost to the construction barrier the Brewery will build. He is also worried about dust blowing onto his restaurant’s front patio.

However, Guinto said communication with the Brewery has been good. Creemore Springs will address his concerns by installing signs advertising parking on nearby streets and watering down dust, he said.

“We feel lucky to be involved in the plans,” said Guinto. “We are always willing to work with the Brewery.”

Guinto recently learned more about the construction plans at a meeting hosted by the Brewery Liaison Committee in April. At the meeting, the Brewery’s general contractor, architect and landscape architect were on hand to answer questions.

The Brewery Liaison Committee was established after a 2009 settlement with local residents and business owners who had initially appealed Creemore Spring’s initial zoning application to the Ontario Municipal Board.

The Committee, which is chaired by Councillor Thom Paterson, includes Davies, Gordon Fuller, Brewmaster at Creemore Springs, Brewery neighbours Christine Boake and Paul Vorstermans, and Creemore Business Improvement Association (BIA) President, Corey Finkelstein.

The Committee’s purpose is to communicate between the Brewery and its neighbours, and to ensure the construction goes as smoothly as possible, Vorstermans explained.

Vorstermans, who was one of the individuals who appealed the Brewery’s initial application, said the Committee has lived up to its mandate.

“It has kept us involved in the discussion and is keeping us informed,” he said.

The Brewery plans to have the foundations and steel completed by the end of August. Construction workers should finish the exterior of the building and the landscaping in the fall, Davies said. Work on the interior will continue until next spring.

“The goal is to have the exterior and all landscaping completed by the end of the year,” said Davies. “We will keep working inside in 2015.”