Main Street residents, businesses look forward to project completion

Residents along East Main Street said there have been parking problems caused by ongoing roadwork, but they look forward to the finished project.

The city is replacing the curbs, driveway cuts and sidewalks on East Main from Oak Street to Douglas Avenue. Next year, the street will be resurfaced.

Tim Gregowicz, the city’s engineer, estimated this summer’s work could be finished in three to four weeks unless there are delays caused by bad weather. The $353,000 project is being funded by a Community Development Block Grant.

Residents on the south side of the street did not have access to their driveways and garages for about a week, but that access has since been restored.

“There’s no construction project that goes on without some inconvenience, it just doesn’t happen,” Mayor Mark Eckert said.

“I think when the project is done, they’re going to be very happy. It’s going to bring increased value, I believe, to all their homes when they see all those sidewalks.”

Fred Schalk, who babysits his grandchildren who live at 936 E. Main St., said the city should have held a meeting with residents to take suggestions from them before the roadwork began.

“The whole problem was there was no communication with us,” Schalk said.

Eckert said the city sent out fliers about the project and that Gregowicz has met with some of the residents.

Mary Campbell, owner of Mary’s Hidden Treasures resale shop at 800 E. Main St., said, “In the end, I’m sure it’s going to look nicer out there so that can only be plus, right?”

She said a combination of hot weather and the construction has caused a dip in her business.

For Jill and Bob DeFrates, owners of Picture Eye Gallery at 948 E. Main St., the road construction hasn’t affected their business because their building was struck by a car on Feb. 25 and building repairs are still under way. They expect the renovations to their 108-year-old brick building will be completed soon and they plan to reopen their custom framing business.

Kelly Morgan of 930 E. Main St. said she wished the city would have had “some kind of discussion” with the residents before the project began but she supports the project because the work needed to be done. She had to park about a block away from her home during part of the roadwork project.

She said the brick sidewalks in front of her house were in poor condition.

Since the neighborhood is in a historic district, the sections of the sidewalk that were brick will be replaced with bricks.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Main Street residents, businesses look forward to project completion."