Fortunately, it's one heading towards a happy ending.

"You really notice a difference," said Dave Ferguson, manager of traffic and parking with the city. "It's amazing to see how it has transformed."

The second phase of extensive downtown revitalization work has begun, with the city's contractor, Stevensville Landscaping, tearing up the sidewalks down East Main Street between Hellems Avenue and King Street.

The streetscaping, also known as beautification work, is also taking place on King between East Main and Division and on a small section of Cross Street near civic square and the courthouse. New sidewalks will be poured that will include patterned asphalt for a cobblestone look.

Ferguson said the asphalt will replace the actual cobblestone that was a tripping hazard for pedestrians. Following the sidewalks, the project also includes adding amenities to the downtown, including trees, flower pots, benches and garbage cans.

The cost to the city for the project is $1.2 million, said Ferguson. He said the investment will be well worth it as the city continues to push for economic growth in the area, for example the recent sale of the old People's store.

"The municipality has to show investors it's willing to invest in the downtown," said Ferguson. "We've had quite a bit of positive feedback from the businesses."

Following the relocation of city hall to the downtown, buzz in the area has been building for years, he said.

"You can see how it needed a facelift to help it move along and keep with the times," said Ferguson.

To encourage increased pedestrian traffic, bump-outs have been added at certain intersections. Although the bump-outs resulted in the loss of parking spaces, Ferguson said they will make crossing the street safer for downtown walkers.

"Instead of crossing four lanes, they're crossing two," he said.

Bike lanes are also being created throughout the downtown, a common area to spot a cyclist. The city is aiming to have the work done in time for the Niagara Food Festival, beginning on Oct. 3, but this phase won't be as noticeable as the first, said Ferguson.

"The biggest inconvenience in place right now is not having a sidewalk," he said. "You're walking on stone instead of a hard surface."

The first phase of the work, done by the Region earlier this summer, was a complete tear-up and rebuild of East Main and King streets, resulting in inconvenient driving and fenced-off sidewalks.

That portion of work was done just in time for the city's 150th anniversary celebrations. However, a top coat of asphalt still needs to be laid.

Ferguson said that step must be done in conjunction with the city's streetscaping efforts. The original plan was to have the top coat laid sometime in September, but the city's contractor's construction vehicles must be done their work before the Region can come back in, he said.

"You don't want to put on a top coat and have construction vehicles run over it and ruin it," said Ferguson.

In a worst-case scenario, the top coat of asphalt could even wait until next spring, he said, saying it's not "imperative" that it be done before winter. But he doubts that will happen as that step is a quick one.

"It's not do or die, so to speak," said Ferguson. "To do a top coat is pretty quick."