A6

By HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
mclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.com

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A downtown bar and eatery has been asked to close its doors this week to ensure the safety of its customers and employees while construction continues on a downtown $75.5-million convention centre.

"Due to safety concerns during the sheet piling at the construction site next to the Lunar Rogue, we have been asked by the developer to close the Rogue for the week of Nov. 23," says an announcement on the Rogue's website.

The city's development committee chairman, Coun. Dan Keenan, said driving foundation piles close to the road created a concern about the impact on the Lunar Rogue's foundation.

"Obviously, there's a lot of hammering going on, a lot of vibration. So pictures on the wall, glass, those sorts of things, the bottles, the whole operation, it would be a situation where the ambiance for the customer would be lost this week where we're making such a ruckus over there," Keenan said.

"It's something we had to address with the owner of the Rogue to try to remediate his losses with regard to that closures.

"They're going through the process now of trying to determine what those costs may be. Our staff are meeting with the Rogue to try to determine what an appropriate amount is to address that situation."

The city's contractor on the convention centre project has been asked to work as quickly as possible to minimize the disruption to the business.

"Access to the Rogue will be restricted by the developers from Nov. 23 till they hand it back to us. Our wish is to reopen as soon as the construction work is completed along the east wall of the Rogue," states the bulletin on the Rogue's website.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our valued patrons."

The city began work early this fall on the two-year redevelopment project to be finished by 2010. The development will include a convention and meeting facility attached to The Playhouse, a parking garage and office tower to be leased by the provincial government.