Owners Losing Major Business For Next 6 Months

TIPP CITY — Come through downtown and you’ll notice, we are back to dirt roads, said director of utilities Christy Butera.While Main Street is normally filled with cars and people, Business owners are upset because while they are still open, no one knows because when they come downtown all they see is construction. And it’s going to be that way for the next six months. You’ll have to walk across a dirt path just to shop at any of the stores.That’s what progress is, said neighbor David Watkins. It’s going to take time; it’s going to be rough this summer for some people. I just want to see it completed.The Utility/StreetScape Reconstruction Project includes the replacement of:-water, sewer and storm sewer lines -new curb, gutter sidewalk-new trees, paver enhancements at street corners, behind the curb, drive/alley approaches-new street lights, mast arm traffic signals, trash cans, benches, bike racks, water fountains, etc. Traffic wise I’m only looking at about a quarter of the people, said Linda Kreider, owner of Eunices Antiques on Main. I can sit there for about two hours and not see anybody.Dspite the inconvenience, everyone agrees the $3.2 million project is needed.Tipp City is going to be a nice town once it’s all done, said mailman Dan Surber.But some people complained of losing their historic downtown so city leaders met to discuss using…Different streetlights that were more historic and the different pavers that would honor some of the historic downtown, said Butera.But if they did so, these business owners would be behind more than six months.Anything they were talking about doing was going to delay the project more which is an impact on our business owners, said Kreider.So we sided to go with the project as it has been so that includes putting in streetlights, said Butera. That matches the other new street lights that we have from the interstate and the pavers we have been using will be the same pavers as you will see coming in downtown.The construction project will not be completed until October, just in time for the Christmas sales to begin.Connect with ABC 22/FOX 45 Reporter Wale Aliyu on Facebook and Twitter.