MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) — Tany Vega owns the Shop Barber Shop on Canal Street in Merced’s Bob Hart Square.
The historic central hub located in the heart of Downtown has been under construction for months.
Vega says crews have made it difficult for customers to access the shops, bringing business to a standstill.
“We didn’t have any anywhere to walk our clients. People were using our back door to walk into other businesses because it wasn’t even accessible more normal business hours,” said Vega.
Despite large ‘open during construction’ signs, Vega says most businesses have lost thousands.
“I’ve lost barbers. I’ve lost clients. I’ve lost potential new clients because of the way the situation was,” says Vega.
Completion for the project was initially slated for October but has since been pushed back to early November.
Over the past five years, Merced’s population has grown over 16%.
Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto says this significant revitalization is critical to meet the needs of the growing city.
As of this week, the city says it’s installed a new 16-inch water line, and a 12-inch storm drain system, added two new driveways, updated crosswalks and seating planters.
On Friday, a group of about seven businesses received a letter from the city with the latest updates and thanking them for their patience but owners say that isn’t enough.
With some of them on the brink of closure, Vega says they are now exploring their options, even considering taking legal action.
“They have pushed us to the point of breaking, where we’ve lost too much money,” says Vega.
Mayor Serrato still hopes the end result will be worth the challenges, “Nothing is perfect, but at the end of the day, the huge goal of this is to help businesses, and we think no one is going to benefit more than our downtown businesses.”
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