Deck gets a facelift
Downtown parking deck under construction
By Becky Martinez, staff writer
Posted on September 5, 2006

Initial construction on the parking deck on West Water Street caught downtown businesses off guard. Continued projects on Water Street have caused significant setbacks for businesses off Court Square. Now, businesses are dealing with the continued construction the best they can.

West Water Street has been under construction for several months with numerous parts of the site frequently blocking car and pedestrian traffic.

The Harrisonburg Electric Commission has been laying power and maintenance lines under Water Street Although traffic has been impeded due to these projects, these projects have not interfered with one another, according to James Baker, director of the Harrisonburg Department of Public Works.

Construction on a free clinic on West Water Street and the closing of the alley that connects Water Street to Court Square, which is soon to be reopened without construction, have closed the most direct routes to this section of town, according to Randy Shank, owner of Shank’s Bakery.

Now the Department of Public Works has contracted the Lynchburg-based Graziano Corp. for a project to “reinforce the structural integrity of the Water Street Deck” from mid-August to mid-November.

Renovations to the deck are expected to prolong the life of the deck by another 25 years, according to the deck renovations notice issued by the Public Works.

“[Public Works] didn’t actually inform local businesses that they’d be closing it until the day before. And then they said they’d only be closing a quarter of it,” Finnigan’s Cove owner Donna Finnigan said.

The top East-half of the parking deck has been closed to seal cracks and the correspondent underside has been closed and the asphalt torn up in construction. The Water Street entrance has been closed off, so patrons must enter from the Bruce Street side. Signs barring entrance and orange construction fencing are hung over many parts of the garage.

“There was a miscommunication when we were informed [by Public Works] of the scope of the project,” said Lisa Ha, program director of the Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. “We had only half-a-week to inform merchants.”

Finnigan said, “People look at [the deck] and don’t realize that it’s open.”
On Wednesday, the City Council held a meeting at Massanutten Regional Library, where business people joined to discuss the parking deck situation.

Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, an organization that functions as a liaison between City Council and merchants, has been working to find creative solutions to help local businesses.

The city has opened the upper deck, which is usually reserved for permit holders, to the public, and the available spots downstairs have been changed from 10-hour slots to three-hour slots in hopes of encouraging a flow of customers into the area, according to Ha.

Shank, who is also president of the Dayton Farmers’ Market, skipped the meeting to sell baked goods and produce at a farmers’ market in Verona.

“I had to go where I could make some money,” Shank said.

According to Finnigan, businesses on Water Street have suffered approximately 40 percent loss due to the construction.

Downtown Books, located behind the parking deck on Water Street, has seen an 85 percent drop in business, according to Schurtz.

“It’s been quite a blow,” Schurtz said. “We didn’t know it was coming.”