MINNEAPOLIS — As hundreds of construction projects continue during summer, business owners across the Twin Cities expressed frustration with the lack of communication.
Ilka Bird, owner of Get Gorgeous Styling Salon in Saint Paul, and Susan Donnelly, co-owner of SouthSide Vintage in south Minneapolis, said they were frustrated with the lack of communication on two separate construction projects headed by separate entities.
Bird's Salon is near the corner of Selby Avenue and Victoria Street in the Rondo Neighborhood.
She said construction for Metro Transit's B Line Project started in June.
"It was just really difficult with no street parking," Bird said. "It was just a hindrance to the business. And it's supposed to go the whole summer."
She said it was difficult for customers to get access to the business or to know where to park, which led to cancelations.
Bird also said signage was confusing for people on whether or not they were even allowed on the streets.
In a statement from Metro Transit, the organization said "We understand construction at this intersection has been impactful and took steps to maintain access to local businesses. The work has wrapped up and no additional street closures are planned at Selby and Victoria."
Bird said that was the first she heard that construction was wrapping up in the area.
"No one knows what's going on," she said.
After KARE 11 received that statement, there were still road closure signs and cones near the roadway. There were also signs with the message 'open to local businesses' and a sign from Metro Transit to 'Support Selby Avenue Businesses' with a list of shops in the area.
"We just want communication," said Bird. "Let us know what we can do and what you can do to make sure there's access and let clients know as well."
Meanwhile, in south Minneapolis, Donnelly said she and other businesses do not have parking nearby after a construction project wrapped up.
"By taking away the parking, what you're doing is making it harder for the cars to patronize the neighborhood businesses," she said.
Hennepin County worked on the intersection of 42nd Street and Cedar Avenue and three others on 42nd with plans to make safety and access improvements.
"We're all about added safety," she said. "But I would say communication was not good."
Donnelly said businesses weren't aware of how construction would change the parking situation and that little effort on the county's part was made to get a business perspective.
"Over the last several years the county partnered with the city of Minneapolis and engaged with the community in a variety of ways to develop and refine improvements that would best meet the needs of the community and project safety goals," Hennepin County said in a statement.
Julia Hatlestad runs Groovy's on the opposite corner of SouthSide Vintage.
"If their plans had been properly communicated to us from the start we would have been fighting to keep our parking two to three years ago," said Hatlestad.
Like Donnelly, Hatlestad often sells large furniture pieces.
"This put us in an impossible position and now some of us may need to relocate soon," she said. "They made their changes to improve the safety of the intersection by adding turn lanes and bike lanes but if the businesses are forced to close or move it may not be an intersection worth visiting."
Both business owners report seeing income loss and want to see parking back.
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