The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Construction is expected to resume next spring on the three new retail buildings at the Flintoba Shopping Centre, with grand openings anticipated in the late summer of 2005. Work on the buildings near the far end of the Wal-Mart parking lot ceased in mid-August for reasons neither the former contractor nor the site developer, Winnipeg-based Kraft Construction, would disclose. Further complicating the situation was the unexpected passing last month of Kraft's president and founder, Henry Rattai. The company's Gerhard Rattai, son of the late founder, said yesterday Kraft is now restructuring and anticipates the construction will pick up next spring. "The project will proceed, and that's the message I want to communicate," he said, adding that Kraft will put out the tender next year. The new buildings consist of a Mark's Work Wearhouse clothing store, an apparent A&W restaurant and a building that will house several different tenants, including Movie Gallery, which plans to move from Main St. Once the buildings are open for business, Rattai said, there simply won't be any room for further development. "At this point in time, we feel that the 15 acres is being fully utilized," he said. "Unless there's some demand or a serious party steps forward with interest, we believe it's the maximum that has been realized there, at least for those 15 acres." Rattai said the development has proven to be every bit as successful as his father, the driving force behind the so-called mall site, had hoped. "The vision of what Henry, my dad, saw has been realized and, we believe, servicing the community at a higher level," he said. "We want to complete that vision of his." Mayor Dennis Ballard told the Healthy Flin Flon forum yesterday that the Flintoba Shopping Centre, which currently consists of Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire and Extra Foods, came at a crucial time for the community. Aside from keeping money in town and providing jobs and tax revenue, he said the faith that the 'big box' stores have shown in the Flin Flon area is rubbing off on other businesspeople. "I get approached a lot lately from people who want to invest in the community," he said. "That's new, let me tell you. That hasn't been happening in the past."
