MONROE - Business owners along the 8th and 9th Street corridor are trying a new tactic to find relief from construction woes - a grass- roots coalition.
And they're hoping their collective voices will be louder than the construction equipment they say has been scaring off customers since mid-March.
Their first act as a group, organizers said, will be to attend the city's project managers' weekly construction meeting at 8 a.m. Friday at city hall. The group is looking for positive solutions to present to the city and to fellow business owners, according Cedar Green Apartments manager, Jeff Hanson, who initiated the coalition and is leading the group's formation.
"Pure numbers could be effective" to influence the city, said Dan Dickey, owner of Century EcoWater Systems, Inc.
Dickey said his business, at the corner of 13th Avenue and 9th Street, is being disrupted by construction on both roads.
"Rather than just grumbling, we want to come with some realistic short-term goals," Hanson said at the group's first meeting Monday.
Topping the list of goals are creative advertising and promotion of the businesses hardest hit by the demolition of the street - the only access route for some.
The group is also prepared to lobby the city for improved access to their businesses.
"When the signs say, 'road closed,' negative things come to mind," said Dickey.
Dickey said he would like a more inviting atmosphere, like signs that say, "open for business" and smoother access to their properties.
Several 8th and 9th Street business have erected their own temporary directional signs along the detour route of 10th and 11th streets, but crossing the construction zone can, at times, seem perilous, they say.
Mud, dust, heavy equipment and confusion keep customers away, especially the elderly who walk in the neighborhood or drive to nearby restaurants.
"The contractors have done everything we asked," Dickey said. "If they can just level us off - a little bit."
The group could have a longer life that the construction project itself. It is looking ahead to future potential problems from the redesigned street - like the lack of a terrace between the new street and 6-foot sidewalk to pile snow.
Bill Larson, owner of Cedar Green Apartments, said the west side of the project, starting at Wis. 69, was the first to go under construction and now is expected to be the last to be finished, perhaps in November. Among the items the group is asking the city for Friday are a timeline and a flow chart of the work left to be completed.
"As a group, I want us to present the question: When is this done?" said Jay Rushiti, owner of the Red Apple restaurant, who says his business is down by at least 50 percent since construction began.
Hanson said residents living along the corridor construction project are also welcome to join the group.
Another meeting of the 8th and 9th Street Business Coalition is scheduled for 2 p.m., July 26, at the Blue Ox restaurant.
For more information, contact Jeff Hanson at 325-5265.
And they're hoping their collective voices will be louder than the construction equipment they say has been scaring off customers since mid-March.
Their first act as a group, organizers said, will be to attend the city's project managers' weekly construction meeting at 8 a.m. Friday at city hall. The group is looking for positive solutions to present to the city and to fellow business owners, according Cedar Green Apartments manager, Jeff Hanson, who initiated the coalition and is leading the group's formation.
"Pure numbers could be effective" to influence the city, said Dan Dickey, owner of Century EcoWater Systems, Inc.
Dickey said his business, at the corner of 13th Avenue and 9th Street, is being disrupted by construction on both roads.
"Rather than just grumbling, we want to come with some realistic short-term goals," Hanson said at the group's first meeting Monday.
Topping the list of goals are creative advertising and promotion of the businesses hardest hit by the demolition of the street - the only access route for some.
The group is also prepared to lobby the city for improved access to their businesses.
"When the signs say, 'road closed,' negative things come to mind," said Dickey.
Dickey said he would like a more inviting atmosphere, like signs that say, "open for business" and smoother access to their properties.
Several 8th and 9th Street business have erected their own temporary directional signs along the detour route of 10th and 11th streets, but crossing the construction zone can, at times, seem perilous, they say.
Mud, dust, heavy equipment and confusion keep customers away, especially the elderly who walk in the neighborhood or drive to nearby restaurants.
"The contractors have done everything we asked," Dickey said. "If they can just level us off - a little bit."
The group could have a longer life that the construction project itself. It is looking ahead to future potential problems from the redesigned street - like the lack of a terrace between the new street and 6-foot sidewalk to pile snow.
Bill Larson, owner of Cedar Green Apartments, said the west side of the project, starting at Wis. 69, was the first to go under construction and now is expected to be the last to be finished, perhaps in November. Among the items the group is asking the city for Friday are a timeline and a flow chart of the work left to be completed.
"As a group, I want us to present the question: When is this done?" said Jay Rushiti, owner of the Red Apple restaurant, who says his business is down by at least 50 percent since construction began.
Hanson said residents living along the corridor construction project are also welcome to join the group.
Another meeting of the 8th and 9th Street Business Coalition is scheduled for 2 p.m., July 26, at the Blue Ox restaurant.
For more information, contact Jeff Hanson at 325-5265.