Merced businesses struggle amid ongoing downtown construction

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- Tany Vega owns the Shop Barber Shop connected Canal Street successful Merced's Bob Hart Square.

The historical cardinal hub located successful the bosom of Downtown has been nether operation for months.

Vega says crews person made it hard for customers to entree the shops, bringing concern to a standstill.

"We didn't person immoderate anyplace to locomotion our clients. People were utilizing our backmost doorway to locomotion into different businesses due to the fact that it wasn't adjacent accessible much mean concern hours," said Vega.

Despite ample 'open during construction' signs, Vega says astir businesses person mislaid thousands.

"I've mislaid barbers. I've mislaid clients. I've mislaid imaginable caller clients due to the fact that of the mode the concern was," says Vega.

Completion for the task was initially slated for October but has since been pushed backmost to aboriginal November.

Over the past 5 years, Merced's colonisation has grown implicit 16%.

Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto says this important revitalization is captious to conscionable the needs of the increasing city.

As of this week, the metropolis says it's installed a caller 16-inch h2o line, and a 12-inch tempest drain system, added 2 caller driveways, updated crosswalks and seating planters.

On Friday, a radical of astir 7 businesses received a missive from the metropolis with the latest updates and thanking them for their patience but owners accidental that isn't enough.

With immoderate of them connected the brink of closure, Vega says they are present exploring their options, adjacent considering taking ineligible action.

"They person pushed america to the constituent of breaking, wherever we've mislaid excessively overmuch money," says Vega.

Mayor Serrato inactive hopes the extremity effect volition beryllium worthy the challenges, "Nothing is perfect, but astatine the extremity of the day, the immense extremity of this is to assistance businesses, and we deliberation nary 1 is going to payment much than our downtown businesses."

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