At least three business owners in SOPA Square along Pandosy Street in Kelowna have come forward to vent their frustrations over the heating problems in their complex.
In 2015, the Aquilini Group bought the Sopa Square project for $ 29.5 million after it went into bankruptcy. Since then, the developer has built a residential high-rise project above the commercial units.
READ MORE: UPDATE: Smoke, no fire, at Sopa Aquare
In the latest developments, Gadi Nussen, owner of Silent Noise Jewelery, said he has been in his shop without a heater for weeks.
“My heating has not been working for a month. I was told that people are going to work on it and it’s a pretty big malfunction, ”said Nussen, who wore a jacket when he called his store on the phone.
“I didn’t see any workers trying to fix it. I was told by the property manager that it would affect some other units. I’m not sure when the problem will be solved. “
Tru Frozen Yogurt, a neighboring Silent Noise Jewelry store, has also had heating issues for almost a month.
Store manager Jennica Shelton said this isn’t the first time her store has been without heating.
“We have had at least four different problems with heating and air conditioning in the past two years. It usually takes weeks for the system to fail, ”Shelton said.
“That was a serious problem for us.”
Glenn Smith, general manager of Canadian Brewhouse & Grill at the SOPA complex, said the property manager is not offering to reimburse him for space heaters, which he only buys to keep his facility warm.
He said a recent flood incident was also a major eye ailment for his company.
“A few weeks ago we had a very busy night in the wing and all of the ladies toilets refused to flush.
“Then the toilets were blocked and the room flooded.”
Smith said the toilet problem was a huge drag on his business.
“I called several plumbers to fix the problem,” said Glenn.
“They usually find blockages from fifteen meters down the toilet pipe.”
Tiles also reportedly fell from the building last March and tumbled onto the street below.
Kelowna City Planning Director Ryan Smith said the tiles have since been removed from the building.
According to Smith, the best way to fix the problem when SOPA business owners run into problems is to contact their Strata manager.
Several phone calls to the Acquilini group for comment were not answered.
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