Editor's note: This story has been edited to clarify the position of Umpkins Beauty supply.
Sam Alsmadi says a 90 percent hit is a lot to take. But that's what the owner of Sam's Mediterranean Restaurant expects to see during the three-week stretch that the $4.5 million Broadway corridor project will essentially close his front door.
"Of course it's going to hurt me," said Alsmadi, who also teaches economics at Southeast Missouri State University. "Who's going to walk through this? The sidewalks are going to be ripped up, so a lot of people can't make it."
As the street reconstruction continued into the project's most commerce-heavy block, several business owners said they are expecting huge losses to their bottom line and at least one is considering shutting down until the project passes by. The project moved into Broadway's 400 block Wednesday, with the intersection with Fountain Street shut down, which essentially shuts down the street from the midblock between Lorimier and Fountain streets to Middle Street.
The 400 block of Broadway is home to 13 businesses and community organizations, including the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, Old Town Cape and a hodgepodge of corner grocery stores, restaurants and tattoo parlors. That's more businesses and not-for-profits than on any other single block in the project's path.
On Wednesday, business owners were trying to inform their customers about how best to access their stores. At the Corner Store, the owners were painting the back door and had put up a sign in the rear saying the store was open. Alsmadi is closing his dining area and will only offer carryout through the rear entrance. He's told his customers, and his answering machine informs his customers of the change while he's closed. Alsmadi is grateful, he said, that the restaurant isn't his only source of income.
"Thank God for teaching," he said. "Otherwise, it would have been pretty bad."
Those at Umpkins Beauty Supply said that the drop in walk-in customers Wednesday was immediate. Ardesha Moreland said that they were considering closing down, but have decided to stay open.
"It's creating a lot of trouble for us right now," she said.
City and economic development officials have warned businesses that the project could be frustrating and even encouraged them to close down for a period if at all possible. They also worked to keep the street closures to a short time frame, writing penalties into the construction contract if any area is closed for longer than three weeks. So far, Fronabarger Concreters has made good on that, even beating the deadline in every instance.
A website, buildingabetterbroadway.com, has also been set up to keep business owners and customers up to date as the project progresses.
"I'm sure it's been aggravating while we're working in front of them," said David McMullin, the project manager for Fronabarger. "I think all of them are aware it's coming and all of them are looking forward to the end result."
The Broadway corridor project, paid for with voter-approved Transportation Trust Fund money, calls for redesigning Broadway from Water to Pacific streets. The project is intended to be substantially completed by Nov. 5, with all of the "hardscaping" done by that date. That includes items such as the pavement, sidewalk, curb and gutter, storm sewer and pedestrian lighting. The 15-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side of the street is also supposed to be done by that date. April 1 is the deadline for final completion, which includes landscaping, trees, tree grates, benches, trash receptacles and bicycle racks.
McMullin said crews are starting to get into a groove as they complete each section.
"The first block had a big learning curve, trying to get exactly what the architect wanted on the plans out there in real life," he said. " ... After we got through with the first block and saw how it was going to look, it made it easier for all the blocks there on out."
Much of the project has yet to have new asphalt put down. McMullin said that's because concrete companies typically need about a block and a half ready before they'll mobilize and do the work. Once Fronabarger crews get to the east side of the Fountain Street intersection, he said, the concrete company will come in and overlay asphalt from the midblock between Spanish and Lorimier streets to the Fountain Street intersection.
Several of the business owners have said they think the short-term loss of customers will be worth it in the end. On Wednesday, Alsmadi agreed, calling it an improvement.
"The way I look at it, it's going to make the street look really nice and hopefully generate traffic," he said. "A lot of people who have never been to my place will probably see it. They're improving the street. It's up to us to capitalize on it."
smoyers@semissourian.com
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