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Talent Cafe struggling with construction delays By BILL CHOY Ashland Daily Tidings TALENT - Construction work to improve Main Street here has raised concerns from a business owner who said the work has affected his new business. John Stough, co-owner of the Talent Cafe on the corner of Main Street and Talent Avenue, said construction, which began in August, has reduced his small parking lot of nine spaces to four and has made it more difficult for people to reach his business due to the ripped-up roadway. "It's difficult to get in and out of the parking lot," Stough said. "You have to drive though dirt, rock and cement to get to the restaurant. ... Some people think it's too much and just drive away." While the restaurant, which opened in April, has attracted a steady customer base, the construction has affected Stough's bottom line. "We have performed below expectations,'" Stough said. "I fear we're missing customers because of the construction work. We're trying our hardest to stay open. We don't know if we're going to make it." The business is opened for breakfast and lunch - during the prime construction times - which has contributed to the decline, Stough said. Stough and his business partner, Dan Gregory, invested more than $100,000 on improving the building. He said he was unaware the construction work would occur when he bought the business. While Stough feels its important and vital to downtown to make improvements, the inconvenience and delays to downtown business has been too much. To him, construction work should have been done sooner. "I don't think they're purposely delaying work," Stough said. "But I think they should have just got it started and finished it by now." The work is part of the Talent urban rrenewal agency plans to improve the main intersection of town. The improvement project includes new roadways, new sidewalks and placing installed utilities underground. The project was supposed to start in June, but was delayed because the design plan did not have needed underground utilities in it, said John Lotitio, general superintendent for LTM Incorporated, which is the contractor on the project. Construction is tentatively planned to be finished in November, Lotitio said. But if the weather changes before that time, the final paving work could be delayed until next April, he said. If construction is delayed, it should not affect the roadway and business, he said. Lotitio said the company tries to accommodate business and listens to any concerns the community may have. "We try to minimize the inconvenience and make sure the driveway to businesses are opened," he said. " If we do have to block the driveway we only block it for up to 20 minutes." Officials with the Talent Urban Renewal Agency did not respond to several messages, nor did city officials. Stough said it has been frustrating for him to have several time changes in the construction. On his office wall, he has four revised schedules for construction as a reminder of the delays. During the work, Main Street has been closed on weekdays, which has added to his frustrations. "When the Main Street of the town is closed, it's hard to attract businesses," he said. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -