'I'll Weather Through This'

The road along Watertown's Public Square is riddled with dips and holes and the sidewalks are now virtually impassable. One month into the long-planned reconstruction project, merchants are saying that the lull in business hasn't been too bad. The $6.7 million project to rebuild Public Square is now in full swing. Construction cones corral motorists heavy equipment makes up a fair cross-section of the traffic milling through downtown.
"Do I have concerns about it? Yes, I do," said Michael J. DeFranco. "But do I like what I'm seeing so far? You bet."
The owner of Computer Doctors, 104 Franklin St., said construction workers have been forthcoming with information about the work they're doing that day. That information, like parking availability, he then can relay to customers.
"You just need to get out there and talk with them," he said. "They're friendly."
Crews from Villager Construction, Fairport, are removing sidewalks and installing the granite curbing along the south side of Public Square, including in front of Mr. DeFranco's business.
"I'm a little concerned that I'm losing curbside service," he said. "But overall, I like what I see."
The curbs will be extended further into the road and speed tables will be installed to deter motorists from speeding through Public Square. The curbing "bump outs" will be installed at the intersections with Arsenal, Washington, Franklin and Mill streets, said City Engineer Kurt W. Hauk.
Those "bump outs" allow pedestrians to view oncoming traffic, Mr. Hauk said.
Kenneth W. Lanning, the project's supervising engineer, said Wednesday that along with the sidewalks and curbs, crews are installing electrical conduits for traffic signals.
Workers will begin to tear up sidewalks along the northern portions of Public Square within a few weeks, he said.
"It's more of an inconvenience now that the curb is being placed," he said.
The granite curbing requires time for it to set, which means cars can't bump into it. Franklin Street was closed for portions of Tuesday and Wednesday while the curbs were put in place.
Richard G. Ireland, the district manager of Subway, 32 Public Square, said the store is offering discounts to try to attract customers.
"We want people to know that if they don't mind getting their shoes dirty, we're still here and open for business," he said.
Mr. Ireland said customers are trudging their way into the store, but not at a pace other seasons have brought.
Murat M. O'Hara owns Blue Cat Cycles, 99 Public Square. The sidewalks around his north-side store have not yet been touched by contractors. Business, he said, has remained steady.
Mr. O'Hara, who is the vice president of the Downtown Business Association, said that while some of the long-established businesses are doing well, the newer stores that haven't established an identity are looking for help.
That assistance can be found through the city Planning Department, said Christine E. Hoffman, downtown development specialist.
"Any businesses that are having problems can contact me," she said.
Mrs. Hoffman said she can act as an intermediary between owners and the contractor to help get traffic to stores.
Businesses also have the option of applying for a loan from the Watertown Trust, a program the group approved Thursday.
The agency has set aside $100,000 for businesses affected by the downtown construction. That money will be handed out in $10,000 increments at a 3 percent interest rate for a five-year loan. Some 20 businesses applied for the program last year.
While business owners are peering outside to see where workers will be that day, the contractor is searching underground for abandoned utility lines.
The streetscape project is supposed to wrap up this year, but Villager crews tearing up the sidewalks and street continue to find unused and unmarked utility lines on an "hour by hour" basis, Mr. Lanning said.
"We're working quite well with the utility companies," he said.
Those lines have set the project back "slightly," Mr. Lanning said.
"We're just working our way around it," he said. "The work won't be any more or less intense for some time."
Mr. Lanning estimated that workers will begin milling the street during June. That timeline may change if the backlog of abandoned utilities increases.
"Once we start tearing the road up, it will be more congested," he said.
The contractor is scheduled to set all of the curbs in place by the end of June. Once they are complete, the road will be torn up and a sub-base will be laid in July. Paving will begin shortly thereafter and from August through November, crews will install the sidewalks.
Back in his corner store, Mr. DeFranco stayed busy scanning the progress of programs cleaning customers' computers.
"Look around, my work benches are full," he said. "I'll weather through this."