SHELBURNE FALLS — As the first phase of construction continues on Bridge Street and weather-related delays push the end date further back, some business owners are frustrated by the impacts of the work.
Mohammad Yaseen, owner of the Bridge Street Bazaar, said access to his store has been hindered by the construction.
“It’s really been a nightmare here,” Yaseen said. “How long do we have to suffer? In the fall, we suffered with COVID.”
The sidewalk in front of the Bridge Street Bazaar is being replaced, which leaves Yaseen without handicap access to his store. A person in a wheelchair would normally enter from a sidewalk ramp by the restaurant Delicatesse and make their way to the door from there, but with portions of the sidewalk out, there is no way to get over the curb without being lifted onto the temporary ramp.
The full construction project, which began in late May, involves repairs to Bridge Street from the Iron Bridge to roughly Baker Avenue. Linda Overing of Breezeway Farm Consulting previously explained the first phase of work is being funded by a Community Development Block Grant and a $10,000 contribution from the Shelburne Falls Fire District.
Shelburne Selectboard member Andrew Baker said construction will always be painful for businesses, but they are growing pains.
“It’s not unusual that when you start digging up the street you’re going to find things you’re not expecting to find,” Baker said. “Coming across things not marked, things not where they’re supposed to be. … Definitely hazards to doing street reconstructions, they can sometimes throw you a curve ball.”
Yaseen added that other businesses in the area are unhappy, too, and there is not a clear end date for construction because of the weather-related delays.
“Nobody has answers for when they’ll be done,” he said.
There is also a hole in front of Flora!, where the sidewalk meets the bridge. The Deerfield River can be seen straight through the hole when standing on the sidewalk. The owner of Flora!, Bridget Bresnahan, said her store has had to close twice this week because of the hole.
“It’s going to have a huge impact on my business,” she said. “I’m not sure what I’ll do.”
Baker said he cannot speak with certainty about the hole because there is a debate if that area is under jurisdiction of the state or Shelburne. He added the main issue is not which entity owns it, but getting it fixed.
“Often those things near the river, there’s a bit of murkiness of property boundaries. It’s not unusual when you’re on the border of a river,” Baker said. “We’ll fix it ourselves because we want to get the construction wrapped up.”
Bresnahan and other business owners said the town could use some “clearer communication” when it comes to how their businesses will be affected each day by the construction.
Both business owners and Baker said the businesses on the street receive weekly email updates from the construction company and Town Administrator Terry Narkewicz. Baker said there shouldn’t be any issues with communication because he and his fellow Selectboard members are available.
“I don’t get the sense that people lack the ability to talk,” Baker said. “Nobody’s hiding in a hole. Anytime people want to have a conversation they can talk to us.”
Boswell’s Books manager Maria Uprichard said not too much can be done about the situation, so she tries to be optimistic about it.
“It is what it is. We were warned,” Uprichard said. “I’m trying to focus on what it’s going to look like.”
Uprichard said there are still “brave souls” getting past the construction and construction cannot be stopped halfway through because of complaints.
“Once these things start, it’s nearly impossible to stop,” Uprichard said. “I can’t wait for the final product.”
Baker said he understands businesses’ concerns and both the town and engineering firm, GCG Associates, are “doing their best.”
“I certainly appreciate that this is not a business owner’s desired project to happen right in front of their door,” Baker said. “It’s been tough, but we’re going to get them back to streets and sidewalks people can use.”
The construction schedule for the week of Aug. 2, as detailed by Overing, is as follows:
■Sidewalk work on the south side of Bridge Street, from Deerfield Avenue to Memorial Hall, is scheduled for completion.
■Sidewalk work will include providing temporary access to affected building entryways.
■Parking will not be available on Bridge Street during construction hours (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) in the areas where sidewalk construction is ongoing.
■The state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has closed the pedestrian access on the north side of the Iron Bridge until the undermined area under the Bridge Street sidewalk adjacent to the town’s retaining wall is repaired. The town is finalizing the repair design and the repair work is to be undertaken by A. Martins & Sons Construction as soon as the design is complete.
■Striping of parking spaces on the north side of the new Bridge Street pavement will happen when the sidewalks are completed on that side of the street and there is dry weather.
All construction is weather dependent and dates may be extended due to inclement weather. Questions or concerns can be directed to gcg@gcgassociates.net or 978-657-9714.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.
0 Response to "Shelburne Falls businesses frustrated with continued construction - The Recorder"
Post a Comment