Good news for those looking to head to the boardwalk patios in Saint John.
The city announced Saturday that the patios have reopened on an interim basis.
“While we await testing of the fully integrated system, the patios along the waterfront boardwalk are now open to as much capacity as possible,” said the post.
“We expect a complete opening to take place later this week.”
The new open-air patios were shut down by the province’s fire marshal last week, just days after they welcomed their first guests.
Infrastructure Commissioner Ian Fogan told council Monday that because the patio design is not found in current building codes, the city agreed to an “alternative solution” which included fire alarms, sprinklers, and non-combustible furniture.
“As we approached the expected date for the completion of the construction, there were still some components, such as the installation of the fire alarm, that had not been completed and some of the testing had not been completed,” he said.
One solution for interim occupancy was having a dedicated 24/7 fire watch on site while the work was completed, said Fogan.
The Saint John Fire prevention office, acting on behalf of the fire marshal’s office, and the city’s building inspection both signed off on the plan, he noted.
“When the Office of the Fire Marshal was notified, they rejected that notion and said no, they weren’t satisfied,” said Fogan.
Fogan noted the city plans to conduct an after-action review on what led to the shutdown order.
