Business owners divided on impact

By Kristyne E. Demske
C & G Staff Writer

UTICA — Two months into construction, businesses in downtown Utica have a mixed opinion of how it’s affecting them.

Auburn Road has been under construction while crews rehabilitate the Auburn Road Bridge, replace the old water main and resurface the rest of the road. On Cass Avenue from M-59 to the city limits, crews are replacing the water main, sewer and some storm drains, and putting in new curbs, gutters, surfacing and driveway approaches.

Shannon Shaw, co-owner of Universal Designs Hair Salon, 7616 Auburn Road, said her business has been impacted, but she knows it could be worse.

“It has impacted business to a slight degree, but not as bad as I’ve expected,” she said. “They’ve been pretty timely and pretty considerate.”

She said the shop had been notified any time the water was going to be shut off, something she considers imperative for her business.

But Rebekah Hambly, who works at Royale Café, 7770 Auburn Road, said they haven’t been so lucky.

“There’s, sadly, less business,” she said. “It’s hurt us a great deal. It’s taken away parking, and people just don’t want to get in the middle of construction just to get coffee or ice cream.”

She said they’ve even lost some regular customers who, when they do make it back, say the construction is to blame.

Bryan Allen, a tattoo artist at No Name Tattoo, 45129 Cass Ave., said Royale Café’s story isn’t unique.

“It’s affected our walk-in business,” he said, adding that the parlor’s business is more than half based on new walk-in clients.

He said neighboring businesses who do have parking lots haven’t been as kind as many would have hoped, pointing to large “private parking” signs on half-empty lots.

“There’s nowhere to park,” Allen said. “Everybody’s being greedy and stubborn about it. The parking issue is the biggest problem.”

Ken Berggren, the owner of the shop, said business is down about 40 percent. Normally, he said, summer is their busiest time of year.

Bill Lang, the Department of Public Works superintendent, said the business owners have been good about the situation.

“My thanks to the business owners and the residents,” he said. “They’ve been very understanding and helpful.”

From the city’s perspective, the work is moving along well.

“Right now, they’re actually a bit ahead of schedule,” he said.

The city worked with the contractor, Dave’s Excavating of Shelby Township, to complete the portion of the project downtown by Aug. 13 and the rest of the project by the end of the construction season.

He said they have had a few incidents where residents and businesses were inconvenienced with an interruption in water service, but “the majority of the project has gone off without too much incident.”

Construction crews hit a water service line while they were working July 29, which affected businesses along Cass Avenue, including No Name Tattoo and The Hue Salon.

But The Hue’s co-owner, Robert Wejroch, said problems like that have gotten repaired fairly quickly as they’ve come along, and he hasn’t lost much business because of his established customer base.

“It’s been OK,” he said. “During the summer, normally, we would have generated some walking” business, but that hasn’t happened.

Even though the impact hasn’t been as bad as she anticipated, Shaw of Universal Designs said she’s “absolutely looking forward” to construction being through.