Some downtown business owners are concerned that recent and upcoming work on and under the streets will hamper fall sales, but the village said they are taking measures to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Workers from the county were spotted in the area of Broadway and Flint streets last week, but Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel said their work is unrelated to the larger water main project set to start soon in downtown.
‘The work that is currently being done is by the Oakland County Drain Commission,? she said, noting they are concerned about inflow and infiltration (commonly referred to as I & I).
She said the county hired a company to grout the pipes in order to stop identified leaks.
‘This has absolutely nothing to do with the water main project,? Van Tassel said.
However, that project is expected to start sometime this month, after the Village Council approved a bid of just over $1 million by C & P Construction last week.
Lloyd Coe, of Ed’s Broadway Gift & Costume said he hopes the village honors the concerns he raised over the summer when the work begins.
He said he does not want the work to interfere with downtown business, adding that October is easily his biggest sales month of the year.
‘They wouldn’t tear up the streets in front of Canterbury Village around Christmas,? Coe said. ‘This is our Christmas.?
Van Tassel said the village was extremely aware of those circumstances and she plans to recommend that the project start just outside of the downtown area.
‘Instead of starting at M-24 and working east, I think we can start at Washington and work to Orion Road,? she said.
Van Tassel said the project is essentially broken into two parts along Flint Street, one from M-24 to Washington and one from Washington to Orion. One section will likely be completed this fall, with the other to follow in the spring.
Some parking along Flint might be affected, but two lanes of traffic should be maintained throughout the project, according to Van Tassel.
‘After all of the water main work is done, the entire road will have an additional layer of asphalt put in,? she noted.
The whole project is expected to be finished by next summer.
Van Tassel said annual downtown events like the Halloween festivities, Jubilee and Flower Fair were all considered when the project went out to bid.
‘These things were put into the contract language, so there should be no surprises,? she said.
Regardless, Coe said he would have liked to see better foresight and planning from those making decisions on the project’s timeline.
‘They could have done this back in July and August, when retail business is slower,? he said. ‘Plus, people are more willing to walk.?