DUNEDIN, Fla. — Last week, the City of Dunedin started construction on a sidewalk project along Main Street from the Pinellas Trail to Douglas Avenue, including the alley entrance on Douglas.
According to city documents, crews are doing this to bring the sidewalk into compliance with federal handicap accessibility laws. They’ll also remove and repave angled parking spaces as part of this project.
Sidewalks and parking in the area will be affected for a few months. Although construction is now in full swing, businesses are still open.
“Parking is important. People like to get in and out of places, and losing that parking right in front of our shop and the others is a bit of an issue, but what people need to remember is there’s a big parking lot right across the street and another one back just not too far behind this row of businesses,” said Boe Rushing, owner of Back in the Day Books.
The project is happening in one of Dunedin’s most popular spots, in front of businesses that rely on community support.
“We could use your support. This is already a slow time of year; it’s the off-season. So any support that we could get, and this is all the way from Salon GW, all the way down to Skips at the corner. Any of the businesses along here we could use your support,” said Rushing.
Some shop owners are worried all the construction could affect business as the project continues.
“So far, it hasn’t been too bad. The barriers are low. People can still see the store. So we’re okay so far,” said Rushing.
“There’s no real way of knowing it after a week. People see construction, they see barriers, and I think subconsciously it might prevent them from coming over this way, but we hope that they’re going to continue to patronize our businesses,” he added.
Construction is scheduled to be completed in early fall.
