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Downtown Business Seek Money From City

Jessica Bair/SUNCOAST

THE BARBERSHOP OWNER Peter Girouard stands outside his shop on Adams Street, in downtown New Port Richey, just a few feet from the $2.2 million storm-water drainage construction work that he says has interrupted his business. Girouard and several other downtown merchants approached the City Council Tuesday seeking reimbursement from the city for business losses they blame on the delayed drainage construction work

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By Jessica  Bair | The Suncoast News

Published: October 20, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - Several downtown business owners say the city owes them money.

The business people went before City Council Tuesday night to request reimbursement for loss of business during a storm-water drainage improvement project that has been under way for the past six months.

Many business owners in the city's commercial district have become frustrated with the construction work, which is meant to relieve storm-water flooding problems on Missouri and Nebraska avenues.

The construction is taking place along downtown streets and streets in the vicinity of downtown.

"Right now our main concern is how are we going to survive the construction?" Maria Restrepo, owner of Christina's Restaurant for the last 16 years, asked council. "We feel with have the right to ask for some kind of compensation so we can get through these tough times."

The construction work has snarled downtown vehicle and pedestrian traffic alike, reducing their flow of customers, the business owners say.

Restrepo, for one, said she and husband Orlando have invested 15 years of savings into the family-friendly dining establishment. They recently had to take out a loan to stay afloat, she said.

"We are doing everything in our power to keep our business going," Restrepo said.

So is the owner of Mar-K Apartments, Linda Burke, who says the construction, stalled at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Adams Street, is "interrupting our cash flow" and has greatly inconvenienced her tenants.

The slow-moving Missouri Avenue drainage project was projected to be complete this month. Because of unforeseen underground problems and design issues, that date has now changed to sometime in January, which also has some shop owners very concerned.

Not all downtown merchants are buying the new drainage project timeline.

"This construction has no foreseeable end," Peter Girouard, owner of The Barbershop, said. "We were also told last week some more predictions for the time period of this job. All those predictions have fallen well behind what they've said."

Previous notices sent to area businesses indicated two weeks was being allotted for construction at each of three intersections on Adams Street, at Central and Florida avenues, and Main Street.

"Our businesses are failing, not due to our negligence at all, but due to construction that the city is doing," said Girouard, who is also asking for compensation from the city.

"We could have swallowed maybe two or three months of this but we're running well over six months," the barbershop owner said.

Last week, city workers installed pedestrian warning and "businesses open" signs on the Main Street corridor near, Adams Street, to help provide some relief.

During the meeting, business owners requested further discussion on reimbursement but council members did not comment on the issue.

City Manager Scott Miller, however, said Wednesday that he and City Attorney Tom Morrison are researching the compensation issue. A report on the subject will be brought to City Council at a future meeting, Miller said.

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