Construction strains, but businesses remain
Birkbeck addresses Clinton City Council
While construction has affected some Market Street businesses negatively, none have permanently closed and others may be getting ready to open, said Katherine Birkbeck director of Historic Downtown Clinton, an organization that works with downtown businesses.
She spoke about these issues in her update at the Clinton City Council’s Feb. 23 meeting.
“I will not stand up here and say it’s been an easy year for businesses,” she said. “It certainly hasn’t.”
She said there were “delays” and “disappointments.”
However, she said no businesses had closed.
“I will take that as a win all day long,” she said.
She said her organization had tried to communicate with the downtown businesses and heard “the good, the bad and the ugly.”
“There are some that are still thriving and doing really well,” she said. “We’re getting through it.”
She said the businesses had supported the closure of Market Street because they wanted the project to move faster.
These comments came in response to Mayor Scott Burton asking her to explain how businesses downtown were doing during the downtown infrastructure renovations. He said he’d gotten comments from citizens worried about these issues.
Birkbeck added that there are new businesses that plan to open this year.
“And they’re excited about what construction will do for our downtown,” she said.
City Manager Roger houck said as of that meeting the project was 72 percent complete.
Burton said that included utility work underground.
“The tough part’s over,” Burton said. “It really is.”
