MARATHON -- The shovels are in the ground! Construction has begun on nine new houses and 80 apartment units in Marathon, Ontario. If you include the 19 rooms at the recently completed Travelodge, that’s more than 100 new places to call home.
The nine new houses will be located in the Penn Lake Heights area, across from the Margaret Twomey Middle school. Marathon’s P&R Construction is the driving force behind these new homes. They are an authorized distributor of Linwood homes, and the new dwellings, which range in size from 1800 to 2400 square feet, will feature the care and quality that both companies take pride in.
P&R Construction, owned and operated by Marathon-born André Paris, was started in 2006 as a heating/cooling company, but has grown over the years to include construction, equipment rentals, construction and recreational products and in-home contracting services. They recognized the demand for new homes in Marathon, and after much planning, have started preparing the land and pouring foundations, and will continue to work on the houses over the winter.
“It’s all about quality for us,” says manager Brent Sammons, “The fine little details, that’s what we care about.”
In addition to the construction, contracting and equipment rental aspects of the company, P&R has opened a new in-person store at 108 Peninsula Road, and will be hosting an official opening ceremony on September 10th, 2022.
Also in the Penn Lake Heights area, the Marathon Municipal Non-Profit Housing Corporation, in conjunction with the CGV Group, are building a 50-unit apartment complex. These units, although not ‘rent geared to income’ (RGI), will be affordable one and two-bedroom suites.
Deforestation of the land on Chisholm Trail has already begun to make room for the project. Only 50 per cent of the cleared lot will be utilized for the complex, and a buffer will be left in place to shield neighbouring properties. A six-foot fence and security cameras will be installed for insurance purposes. Plans call for the foundation to be poured in October, the exterior walls, floors and roof to be erected soon after, and the finishing of the interior will take place over the winter. The new units should be ready to move into by the summer of 2023.
Another 30 units are being built by the Ontario Aboriginal Housing. The three-story apartment complex will be located on McLeod Drive, with a projected in-service date of June, 2023. This $12.3 million project’s priority is to house Indigenous people, but will be open to everyone if there are vacancies. Rental rates will be reasonably set at 80 per cent of the median market rent.
The CGV Group, the construction company for both these apartment complex projects, was the builder and development company behind the Marathon golf course clubhouse and the Peninsula Manor seniors supportive housing facility. They have been in business for over 45 years, but recently went through a rebranding; their new name was chosen to better reflect their strong values, experience and expertise.
These projects, and all the other plans for further development in the future, are a welcome addition to the growing community. Affordable housing, good jobs and enthusiastic people with unlimited vision are a true reflection of the Township of Marathon’s motto: ‘Built on paper, laced with gold!’
