No further development anticipated until the spring on fire damaged Oliver Street

Sidewalks remain barricaded on the street of what was a devastating fire in downtown Williams Lake.

City building inspector Gary Deane says the majority of the complex on Oliver Street is going to be sitting in a holding pattern until at least spring.

The excavation is about 3 meters deep on the street side.

“It was a lot deeper than what we anticipated but it’s something that can be dealt with and we will be dealing with that as we move forward,” Deane says.

“Right now the site has been fenced so hopefully, it’s a fairly safe site. I know the City crews are planning on patching some of the holes in the sidewalk and then we can open that sidewalk up in the front.”

The fire that broke out on the morning of Sept. 20 razed Diamonds and Dust Entertainment Lounge and New World Coffee and Tea House.

It also resulted in ‘Do Not Occupy ‘orders that are still in place for three of the remaining historic buildings.

Deane says while there was a lot of contamination following the fire it was all handled appropriately. He says the mitigation was completed and that the material met all the requirements and standards as per the environmental consultants to be landfilled.

“Right now the excavation has been stabilized to hopefully prevent any movement on the city sidewalk and the Caribou Ski building,” Deane says.

“No significant work will happen until the spring when the weather permits.”