COMMUNITY

Since there was only one access to the job site, via the street, it was challenging at times. Surprisingly, being nestled on the Grand River wasn’t much of a challenge as you’d think, aside from meeting specific GRCArequirements.

Pickering lives in Paris, so he said he takes pride in how the community perceives the work that is being done in downtown He gained valuable experience in this area as a site supervisor for the Royal Condominiums, developed by Bill Kennedy just a couple years ago. “I believe it is very important for the community to know that we are local people improving our own community,” said Pickering, who added that he admires Henry’s determination to make things better. Henry shares the same sense of community pride When asked how this project compares to the many developments he’s overseen in his career, Henry chuckled “I’ve built much bigger but what makes this different is the complexity of it,” he said following a tour of the building. “It’s been enjoyable for sure, but I will be happy when it’s over!”

This massive project has been in the works, in some form or another, for more than five years. Originally, Henry planned to demolish all the buildings from 1-11 Grand River Street North That plan was scrapped because of a long-standing GRCA policy that prevents someone from creating additional residential units not part of the building’s original floorplan Meaning, if you demolition a building with five units in it, you can’t rebuild it with eight units.

So, it was back to the drawing board to revise plans.

Instead, Henry settled on a renovation project planned specifically for 9 Grand River Street North, the old Runner’s Den building As the walls were coming down for that project, they stumbled across something startling - there was no wall between #9 and #7 and the remaining structural support that was there was in no shape to withstand time That’s when Henry decided to rebuild from #5 to #9 with careful attention to detail to ensure the new building fits in with the downtown core’s heritage streetscape He was aware of its historical significance, so he was adamant that the Brant Heritage Committee was involved every step of the way. The Heritage committee toured the deteriorating buildings and determined no designation of the structure was necessary. Prior to demolition, contractors were able to retain a good portion of the original tin ceiling, which was presented to a Heritage Committee member Henry said he plans to slow down after this project, although he was reluctant to use the word retire.

Henry’s been a huge supporter of downtown Paris since he came to town over 20 years ago He’s been tied to the Paris Business Improvement Area over the years, including his time spent as a member of the Cobblestone Common Committee that brought to life the Cobblestone Common Park downtown He’s also a founding member and co-owner of Pinevest Homes, which has donated $50,000 to Brant Waterways Foundation’s Trail Improvement and River Access campaigns

Over the next few months Henry said looks forward to seeing the project to completion and watching as the building really takes shape, and eventually, occupancy

Doug Stewart - MC

For Henry, this massive project might just be his swan song in a long and successful career, giving him an opportunity to leave Paris’ downtown in better shape than he found it and providing others with that very same river view that took his breath away 20 years ago