SAPULPA, Okla. — Construction along Sapulpa’s Dewey Avenue is ongoing, running at least 10 days behind.
“The contract has an end date, no longer than Oct. 31,” City Manager Joan Riley said during a March interview, “We all know construction sometimes goes a little awry.”
WATCH: BUSINESS HURTING: Sapulpa's Dewey project running late
Indeed, things did go awry.
Riley sent 2 News Oklahoma a written statement, this time.
“As is common with construction projects, weather delays — particularly the heavy rains we experienced in late Spring — triggered the use of up to 60 allotted weather days, extending the timeline slightly,” Riley said.
“From a business perspective, we’ve been struggling a lot. Our sales have gone less than half of what they were before construction started,” TC Abazha said.
LOOKING BACK >>> Abazha spoke with 2 News Oklahoma as construction started
Abazha is the owner of Il Gusto, an Italian restaurant along Dewey. He recently released a Facebook post, outlining the woes he has faced since construction started.
“We understand that the construction was needed, and it’s gonna hurt at the beginning, before we get something better going on, but, at the same time, there should have been a plan for the businesses,” Abazha said.
Riley addressed all of the businesses along Dewey.
“We deeply appreciate the community’s patience and support. City council members, staff, the chamber, and main street representatives make a point to dine downtown regularly — both for business and pleasure — and we encourage everyone to do the same,” Riley said.
“The customers: they are the only reason why we are still here today,” Abazha said.
Those customers are special to Abazha. They are the reason he will press on, until the barricades are gone – and the people are back. Meanwhile, he’s hoping people will navigate it while they must. Just one customer isn’t enough to drown out the sounds of construction.
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