The Chatham-Kent Congregation’s plan to buy land in the town of Wheatley has received cautious support from some local business owners.
“It’s a good first step,” said Mike Untsch, owner and pharmacist of Adamson Guardian Pharmacy, the only pharmacy in Wheatley. “I want other properties that were affected by the blast to be bought as well.”
Chatham-Kent has contacted 11 property owners whose property is on the corner of Erie St. North and Talbot Road East. The buildings there are part of the evacuation zone in Wheatley and are fenced off along with other nearby properties that have not reopened nearly a year and a half after an explosion shook downtown.
Chatham-Kent’s chief legal officer, David Taylor, previously told CBC News that discussions are currently aimed at determining whether or not the 11 owners are ready to sell.
Untsch Pharmacy was affected by the 2021 blast and has since been relocated out of downtown Wheatley. He said the cost of repairing the original building, which is also fenced off but is not part of the 11 buildings that may be up for sale, is too high.
“We’re going to have to demolish the building and it’s going to happen sometime in mid-March this year,” he said.
Although the municipality is considering whether or not to buy the 11 properties, another business owner is also excited about a potential purchase but remains concerned.
“If you take away this commercial property, where are other people supposed to go for business?” said Tracey Declerck, owner of Briar Patch Studio, which is right next to the evacuation zone. “There is very limited commercial space in the city.”
Declerck said she was not informed of what would happen to the properties and was concerned about the impact on her business if the buildings in the evacuation zone were demolished.
“If there’s nothing there, there’s nothing attractive for people to come to Wheatley,” Declerck said.
CBC News reached out to the Chatham-Kent community on Sunday to ask whether the buildings will be demolished if a purchase is made. No response has been received yet, but Taylor previously told CBC News that these next steps could also be an opportunity for “community members to contribute to the site’s future vision.”
Regardless of whether Chatham-Kent buys the property, Declerck said the impact is already being felt.
“We don’t have restaurants in town, so our business in the evening is nonexistent because nobody comes,” she said.
While other residents didn’t know much about Chatham-Kent’s plan to buy the 11 lots in the evacuation zone, one said what he would do if offered a sale.
“I would definitely take the money if I could,” said Kaleb Dyck. “If they don’t build there again, by all means take the money and support your family.”
Another resident just wants his town back.
“It’s important that these businesses and residents are relocated,” she said. “We had a small town that was doing very well. We had restaurants, we had a legion, we have the car barn, we have the church.
“We have to get back what we lost.”
Declerck said there is potential for downtown Wheatley to be rebuilt, but it will take a long time.
“People are not ready to invest right now because nobody knows what the future holds,” she said. “Because it’s taken so long, it’s a huge risk for anyone who comes in.”
Untsch also sees potential for downtown Wheatley but is unsure about the long-term future.
“I hope it recovers but I’m not sure if it will [current] place,” he said. “It would take a lot of money and I’m not sure where that money would come from.”
