BATTLEFORD - The new Oil Can Charlie’s location in the Battleford West commercial area west of Highway 4 is taking shape.
The structure itself is now up, and work is well under way to get all the finishing touches done and have the building fully ready for customers for its expected opening later this fall.
The big news Thursday is that the new roof has been placed on the building. The roof was hoisted up and placed on the top of the structure in a span of about 15 minutes.
This will be the second oil change location for Oil Can Charlie’s in the Battlefords, in addition to its location in the north end of North Battleford. The property is owned by BSR Ventures Ltd., consisting of Jay Bottomley, Keegan Sparrow and Sheldon Rafuse.
In speaking to the News-Optimist/SASKTODAY.ca on Thursday, Bottomley said it will be a similar building to the one already in North Battleford, with some changes.
"This is basically the exact same footprint as the store in North Battleford, but the type of construction is a lot different and the exterior is going to be a lot different, too."
Bottomley is general contracting the project himself, and has taken on a company from Eckville, Alberta called Rock Solid Contracting Ltd. who will be taking construction most of the way to the finish. Discovery Co-op and Home Centre also supplied some of the construction materials for the build and were on hand to see the roof-raising Thursday.
At their May 17, 2021 council meeting at Town Hall, Battleford council heard from Bottomley about the project. He told council the property was purchased from Dean Kupchanko and they took possession April 30. He also told council they expected to begin construction in August for a November completion.
So far, the build seems to be proceeding according to that original schedule. Construction began on Aug. 23, said Bottomley, and has been going on a steady pace since then.
Bottomley said they are still targeting either late November or early December for an opening. Bottomley remains optimistic they can meet that date, once they get all the details with the roof finished.
The plan was to finish the patching on the roof that day, and then start construction on the insides right away. The overhead doors were in Saskatoon and ready to go in, said Bottomley, and "my stone and stucco guy is basically waiting and ready."
In addition to the building, located just south of the strip mall that houses the Sobey’s liquor store, a 10-by-20 digital billboard sign is to be set up on the southeast corner of the property. It will be a double-sided third-party billboard, and the sign should be finished and up sometime in December.
Long term future plans presented to council could include adding a 15,000-to-20,000 square foot commercial retail unit or strip mall possibly in 2023 or 2024. However, those are not finalized.
Bottomley said the reaction to the project has been "a lot of excitement."
"A lot of Battleford residents are super happy that we're coming in here," said Bottomley. He also pointed to interest from people in surrounding communities that come through Battleford, including Red Pheasant, Mosquito, Sweetgrass, Cut Knife, Wilkie and elsewhere.
He called the town of Battleford "an absolute dream to work with. The environment for new businesses in Battleford is awesome, they're so encouraging. The mayor (Ames Leslie) has stopped here a couple of times and said 'wow, it's coming along amazing.'"
The general location in Battleford West has been a hub of construction activity in recent years. Other builds that have gone up in recent years include a strip mall, a Discovery Co-op gas bar and convenience store location, and Tim Hortons.
Bottomley said he thinks the Battleford West location will be a great location for Oil Can Charlie's, pointing to the "buzz" and energy he sees in the general area.
"It's going to be a busy location, and I'm excited to get things open and running."
