Downtown Warsaw business owners say their businesses are suffering from temporary street closures.
South Buffalo and Market streets closed April 23 to allow workers to begin paving the streets as part of the city's downtown rehabilitation project. The streets are expected to be closed until Friday, according to Street Superintendent Lacy Francis.
Repaving work on Market Street from Indiana Street to Lake Street started this morning.
Francis said he hopes to complete the asphalt work and have the streets reopened by Friday to allow for the greenway opening.He said a vehicle drove through the barricaded intersection of Buffalo and Market streets this weekend.
Francis said luckily the vehicle did not hit a water main or the project would have been delayed.
The $200,000 project started in August with curb and sidewalk reconstruction between Market and Buffalo Streets and the west side of Indiana Street.
The project also included installing nine tri-globe lights, new sidewalks and new trees, as well as repaving Market and Buffalo streets.
Diane Rourke, owner of Brown Bag Deli, 206 S. Buffalo St., said she has seen a decrease in business as much as 30 percent since August.
Rourke said Friday is normally the busiest day for the business, but business was slow this weekend due to the street closures, she said.
"It's my livelihood that people come to eat here, but if they can't get here, they go elsewhere to eat and I lose business," Rourke said.
She said the project will be an asset to the downtown, but she feels the project has taken too long to complete.
Rourke said the street closures not only have affected customers attempting to get to her business, but also has affected her catering service.
She said the alley by her business has been blocked off in the past, and it has been hard to get delivery vehicles in and out of the alley.
Rex's Rendezvous, 204 S. Buffalo St., also has been affected by the street closures.
"We feel the workers should have waited until after the weekend to tear out the street because Friday and Saturday are normally our busiest days," said Robin Watters, owner of Rex's Rendezvous.
He said his biggest complaint is that there have not been street sweepers on Buffalo Street.
He said he has had to sweep dirt from the curbs and powerwash the sidewalk in front of the business himself.
Beer and ice delivery also has been a problem with semi-trucks trying to deliver the items.
He said it has been hard for semis trying to get in and out of alleys, and ice has had to be wheeled in.
"When streets are blocked off, it not only affects those streets, but the surrounding city blocks," Watters said.
