You’ve likely noticed that Main Street is under construction. The second phase of a state project aims to make Main St. safer for pedestrians, while also addressing some drainage issues. It's all good news, but business owners are worried about the impacts of construction in the meantime.
Work began last year as the state renovated the downtown roundabout: “The features of a modern roundabout will improve safety and efficiency by decreasing entering speeds, separating conflict points, and reducing driver confusion.” But as the work continues further up Main Street, impacting traffic and businesses, I reached out to Ben Boucher from CT DOT, the chief inspector on the Main Street project to get a better understanding of the scope of work.
There’s a lot of work still to be done, so let’s break it down:
Full sidewalk and curb replacements on both sides of Main St. from Haymarket Common up to approximately 91 Main St., where Let’s Get Wired is located.
Two more bumpouts will be installed at crosswalks near 68 Main St. and at the corner of Main and Spring St. across from Haymarket. (Bumpouts are designed to help make pedestrians safer.)
Any remaining catch basin tops will be replaced.
There will be new decorative signposts and signs installed along the new sidewalk.
Two new flashing crosswalk warning signs will be installed between Haymarket and 91 Main St.
New stamped concrete splitter islands will be installed at the entrances/exits of the roundabout. The police station driveway will be redone in stamped concrete as well with an additional divider island between their driveway and the roundabout traffic lane.
New steel mast arms and traffic signals will be installed at the Spring St./Main St intersection
The splitter island located across from Stafford Savings Bank will be replaced, and the flag pole will receive a new foundation and be replaced.
A new sidewalk will be installed from the Town Hall parking lot, extending south down River Road to the empty parking lot where Cumberland Farms used to be.
A portion of the roundabout will be full-depth reconstructed. This means we will excavate out and replace the road's subbase with new material and repaving. This work will happen at night to limit impacts on traffic.
The entire stretch of Main Street will be milled and repaved/restriped once all the above work is complete.
Boucher says, “Unfortunately due to sporadic material delays, we do not have an estimated end date. It is likely that construction will persist into the Fall of 2024.” That does not necessarily mean sidewalk construction will be happening all summer. It could mean that the new steel mast arm or the decorative signposts won’t come in until later, but we cannot be sure. It does, however, mean businesses will be coping with the impacts of construction and parking bans for some time to come.
The impact of construction on downtown businesses
The past year or so has seen many new businesses open in Stafford’s downtown corridor. Let’s Get Wired, Little Lost Records, Off the Rails Brewery, and Stone House Apothecary have all opened on Main Street, with Mike’s on Main set to open in the old J&D’s Bar and Grill soon. Foot traffic is important to many of these new businesses, as it is to existing businesses like Stafford Coffee Company, ESP Pottery, Local Vibe, Artisans at Middle River, Stafford Cidery, and the salons and nail shop. So, while business owners understand that making traffic safer for pedestrians is important (and an important part of economic development), there is bound to be an impact on business in the immediate future. On the bright side, Boucher says there will not be a reduction in the number of legal parking spaces on Main St. when construction is finished.
Teri Herel, owner of ESP Pottery, a downtown fixture since Fall 2015, says, “I have not seen an impact on my business related to the construction. On the contrary, I noticed that customer shopping is up this Spring compared to previous years. As Main Street has continued to grow over the last few years and new businesses move in, customer traffic has increased each season.” The current construction is across the street in front of Haymarket Common, but will eventually impact the other side of the road, where ESP Pottery and most of the downtown businesses are located, and some business owners are worried.
“Lack of parking and ease of walking sidewalks will make many customers go elsewhere. If they don't know about the parking lots by Eagle Mart or feel like they can't navigate the open construction areas, they may just skip the stop,” says Jodi Harmon, co-owner of Local Vibe and Stafford Cidery. “We get a lot of customers who drive through town and stop because they see our business signs or see the windows and are curious. Those people will likely keep driving during construction.”
With these concerns in mind, some business owners are planning ahead. Herel says, “I do send out an occasional social media post to let customers know this is happening, and I talk to my studio members privately when construction is particularly busy in front of the shop. The shops also tend to coordinate collectively behind the scenes and periodically publish a street map with the public parking areas marked.”
However, for Harmon, who relies more on drive-by traffic, increased communication to existing customers may not be enough. She says, “Because we are situated right on Main Street and rely primarily on Main Street parking, I don't think there is much we as a business can do to direct people to other parking. We can certainly post online but if people are just driving by, there is no chance for us to direct them because they can't stop to ask us...because there is no street parking.”
She adds, “When construction crews left last Friday afternoon for the weekend, all the no parking signs were left up on the side of Main Street. The other side is torn up. The workers aren't there all weekend so it is really frustrating for them to take away parking on both sides of the street during the weekend when most of the Main Street stores do a good deal of business.”
Michael Daniels-Demers, co-owner of Stafford Coffee Company – which, incidentally, just underwent a renovation – echoes the same sentiments as Herel and Harmon: “Last year was our first year as business owners here in Stafford Springs and we were unaware of the upcoming construction that wound up lasting through all of the summer and most of the fall. As soon as the construction began last year we noticed that our business quickly dwindled… Also, a lot of people are driving through, see the coffee shop and stop for a quick bite and pick me up. That also goes away as soon as they took away downtown street parking.”
How to support local businesses
The construction is unavoidable, but that does not mean there are not things that the town can do to support the businesses impacted by the disruption.
“What would help us the most is continued communication with Town Hall,” says Herel. “Currently, we don't get notice of parking bans, so a simple text alert system for the shop keepers would be greatly appreciated, along with communication to the public by the town directly. I'd also love to see Main Street continue to fall under any general marketing the town might have. Over the last ten years, we've become known as a small downtown arts destination, and it would be helpful to see that highlighted along with the usual Stafford features of the racetrack and historical sites. Most of all, and simply enough, if the town could maintain and publish a shopping and parking map, especially during construction, that would be a tremendous help.”
Daniels-Demers says, “We saw an impact to our business already, as soon as they took away the parking. Like last year, there was no communication of when the construction was to begin or what the project entails. There clearly has been little if any consideration to the impact of the small businesses to the downtown. There has been no advertising from the town or the state regarding the free community parking lot located at the Eagle Mart, or behind the Historical Society.”
Just up the road, Harmon wants people to know, “We are still open, and all small businesses need support year-round. A hit like construction and lack of parking will make it even tougher for the small businesses on Main Street. But we will be patient and we will make it through. Main Street in Stafford will look even more beautiful when this is all done and the construction dust settles!”
Daniels-Demers, who says he is publicizing alternate parking options via social media, also wants people to know they are open. “It may be noisy and dusty outside from the work being done, but things are as calm and peaceful as always in the shops here in Stafford Springs. Please come visit us, relax and enjoy some coffee, and food.” He also points out that the construction wraps up around 1-2 p.m., “giving the opportunity to walk up and down Main Street enjoying some of the other shops without the extra noise and dust. We're all excited to see the project complete and see how it adds to the beauty of the town, and safety for pedestrian traffic.”
Where to park during construction
As we’ve heard, one of the biggest concerns is the added pressure put on the already limited parking on Main St., as temporary “No Parking” signs stay up around the clock. Boucher says, “The no parking signs need to remain up when work isn’t happening because we are required to give 24 hours notice, and the only way for us to do that is to leave the signs up overnight/over the weekend. Unfortunately, if we show up Monday morning and cars are parked along Main St., we’re unable to continue our sidewalk work without having vehicles towed. In order to avoid that undesirable situation, we need to leave the signs up.”
Now, whether or not the town will be enforcing the parking ban overnight or on weekends is another story. Historically, parking enforcement in downtown is sporadic. During storm related parking bans, officers enforce parking restrictions, but on a normal day, it’s not a priority. They also pay attention to intersections where parking is dangerous. Technically, parking laws prohibit people from parking within 10 feet of crosswalk, a rule that is obviously not enforced in downtown. Just know that if you’re parked in the no parking zone when works begins in the morning, you will be towed.
There is quite a bit of free off-street parking available, though, it’s not always acknowledged. Some lots require more walking than others, so if you’re able-bodied, consider picking a spot that’s further away on busy nights and leave the spots that are closer to downtown for those with mobility concerns.
Here is a quick rundown of other places to park while construction is ongoing:
Eagle Mart (aka Spring St. public parking lot)
Town Hall
Witt School/Woodlawn Trail
Hyde Park Road (one-way)
River Road commuter lot
On side streets unless otherwise marked
(Editor’s Note: I also want to take an opportunity to plug walking! Walkability is important for many reasons, but when fewer people drive into town, it also means we need fewer parking spots. So, even if you do not usually walk into town, consider it. Park at a friend’s house if you need to, but do your part to keep supporting local businesses during a tough time.)
Ancillary benefits of construction
The work will have other impacts in addition to addressing safety concerns. For instance, Rick Hartenstein, Superintendent of the Water Pollution Control Authority, said via email, “The New Catch Basins will carry storm (rainwater) to the river. The new basins and piping will prevent streets from backing up with rainwater and allow water to flow smoothly to the river.” Additionally, part of the paving project will include other upgrades: “The Sanitary System (sewer water) will get new manhole frames and manhole covers, which will have internal O-rings to prevent storm (rainwater) infiltration. Infiltration causes dilution in sanitary sewers, which decreases the efficiency of treatment and causes sewage volumes to exceed design capacity. The new covers with O-rings will help remove this type of problem.”
This is especially important given the increasing frequency of heavy storms that can overwhelm the WPCA facility with storm runoff.
So, as the work moves forward, here’s to hoping the most disruptie portions of the work goes quickly, and that townspeople make an extra effort to support local shop keepers over the next few months.