Status Update - Downtown Construction Project by our Gallery - 60-day Progress Report

So, yesterday we just finished the final update on the flood that temporarily closed our Gallery back in October; today it's time for the "60-day update" on the downtown infrastructure and road project that is happening on the main street of our small town... which also happens to be right outside the Red Dragonfly.

The road/sidewalk in front of our gallery-- this is pretty much the new daily view

Purpose

To recap, there's definitely a good reason why the city is undertaking this project. Much of our historic town's infrastructure (electric, sewage, water, etc.) is horribly out of date.

As a retail tenant pretty much at the heart of downtown, we definitely do feel the effects of aging systems-- from periodic water shut offs to occasional electric shutoffs while "something is being fixed" to other disturbances.

Generally, most businesses have just learned to live with it; we're grateful to be part of a historic community.

Looking the opposite way; we're in the lower level of the taller building, by the Fedex truck

We're still doubtful about the "beautification" end of the equation. Part of our small city's charm is precisely that it is somewhat "quirky" in places — and I personally have some concerns that attempting to "make it prettier" will only result in the town losing some of its character. 

There's Never a Good Time

Of course, there is never a "good time" for road projects like this. No matter what, they will disturb adjacent businesses and other tenants in the buildings. 

I have personally been through this sort of event once before, with my gallery I had in Texas, back in the 1980s and 1990s. I was in a location facing what was a "street" when we opened, and a Federal grant resulted in that street being upgraded to "highway" over a period of almost 24 months.

Filling back in over newly laid pipes and wiring. These are now inside a 60-inch "crawlspace"

Fortunately, the window for our current local project is much smaller: The construction is supposed to be completely finished by June 30th of this year, meaning that we will be able to have (I suppose) "normal" operations during the bulk of our all-important "tourist season" here.

The purpose of these "update posts," as much as anything, it to create a more or less "permanent record" thanks to the Steem blockchain. Theoretically, we should always be able to come back to these pages and go "Ah, yes, remember WHEN...."

A view of the "far end" of the project, which ends at the traffic light by our ferry terminal, in the distance

So, We're 60 Days In

So far, the disruption caused by the construction project has been about as expected. We are still in the winter months here, when our business is quite slow, anyway.

As of this writing, we've seen about a 25% drop in daily visitor traffic, which has also resulted in about a 20% drop in sales.

On weekdays, our main street is on-lane traffic, guided by workers with signs. Occasionally, everything comes to a halt for up to 15 minutes.

The "good news" is that the construction managers have been extremely good about "tidying up" by 4:30pm on Fridays and traffic disruption is only minimal on Saturday and Sunday, our busiest days. 

The not-so-good news is that we have now "lost" about 600 feet (200m) of kerbside parking; this in a town where parking is tight, at the best of times. Once discussed plans of having a free shuttle from one of our parks-and-ride lots to downtown on the weekends have not come to pass.

Evaluation so far: We're hanging in there, to the best of our ability!

"Casualities," So Far

In situations like these, it's almost inevitable that some businesses who have been "barely making it" will end up closing their doors.

I'll preface this part by adding that the city-- as a whole-- had a relatively poor summer season in 2017, as compared to previous years. Quite a few of our merchants arrived at January 1st with almost empty pockets-- not a good thing when facing a project like this. I talked to one of my colleagues right after the new year, and she confessed that she had not been able to pay herself for three months...

Anyway, 60 days in, we have "lost" two shops (a gift store and an art gallery) and most recently long time mainstay diner the Lighthouse Café. A jewelry store-- which many people thought was doing quite well-- is in the process of closing. 

The Lighthouse Café (blue building) didn't make it. We're hoping the coffee shop (yellow building) can hang in there.

On the whole, it's perhaps not too bad; we'll see what the next four months bring. The big negative about these closures is that as long as the construction is ongoing, it will be almost impossible to get replacement tenants... unless, of course, the building owners plan to offer "free rent" till June 30th!

Till the next update!

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The Red Dragonfly is an independent alternative art gallery located in Port Townsend, WA; showcasing edgy and unique contemporary art & handmade crafts by local and worldwide artists. All images are our own, unless otherwise credited. Where applicable, artist images used with permission.