Boulder City merchants fear losses during renovation

Lisa Snedeker

Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1999 | 11:06 a.m.

Al and Carrie Stevens have been serving breakfast and lunch to visitors and residents since they took over the Coffee Cup four years ago.

But they wonder how many people will be stopping in during a 60-day downtown revitalization project, a period during which they fear their Coffee Cup business could be turned upside down.

The proposed project, costing an estimated $500,000, is intended to provide a face lift for two blocks in downtown Boulder City, or Old Town as it is known to locals. While the ultimate goal is increased business, the construction period is what worries the Stevenses and other merchants with businesses on Nevada Highway between Wyoming and Denver streets.

They say they could go right out of business, particularly if something goes wrong, such as the project dragging on or major work being done during daytime hours.

"It will be very good for business -- when it's done," Al Stevens said.

Tony Bosco, manager of the Boulder City Texaco Station, 567 Nevada Highway, said the proposed plan will impede traffic flow. He's still disgruntled about the Old Town Streetscape demonstration project -- the forerunner to the current proposed construction.

"The town was never designed to be this way," he said. "Now they've got it all gummed up with concrete pylons that people are running into."

The demonstration project followed City Council approval near the end of 1997 along Nevada Highway from Wyoming to Colorado streets.

"We had a lot of irate citizens during the demonstration project because we changed the basic travel lanes," Phillip Henry, the city's public works director, said.

He added that the city used concrete barriers to create the new lanes -- simulating the proposed sidewalk extensions -- and some drivers ran into them.

Henry said, however, that since the initial change, he has seen a change in attitude.

"People can back out into traffic now," he said.

But not Bosco. While he said a lot of small businesses may make money from the improvements, he fears his business will lose.

"It's going to affect traffic," he said.

But city officials say the needed downtown revamping includes improving the traffic flow while increasing parking and enhancing pedestrian amenities.

For example, slower speeds on the Nevada Highway -- which turns into Nevada Way downtown -- are expected to transform it into more of a market street rather than a highway. Diagonal parking, such as what is in front of Nevada Drug and the Boulder Theater, will replace parallel parking on Nevada Way.

The plan also would increase parking from 33 to 62 spaces as well as widen the street, Henry said.

Bids are due Jan. 28 and the job is expected to be awarded at the Feb. 9 City Council meeting. Construction, which is slated to be completed by April 23, is scheduled to begin Feb. 22.

Henry said the project is an attempt to keep the downtown area -- home to more than 20 businesses -- revitalized.

"Boulder City used to have diagonal parking and tree-lined streets," he said. "In the past two or three years we've been looking at ways to get back to the Boulder City of old."

City Manager John Sullard said the city plans to plant 65 elm trees in 36 boxes throughout the downtown area.

"We're talking about 18-foot high elms," he said, which would provide a canopy over walkways.

Henry said the revitalization project has been extended to Denver Street to eliminate a short section of bad pavement, address alley access and provide pedestrian access from Colorado to Park Street.

The project is being bid for nighttime construction, Henry said.

And that is necessary to the success of the Stevenses and other downtown businesses.

"It needs to be done at night, there is no option," he said. "If they try to do construction during the day, everyone downtown would go out of business."

According to the Stevenses, the city originally was reluctant to ask for night-construction bids because it would raise the overall cost of the project.

"But there's a benefit to doing it at night," Henry said. "After all, that's why we're doing it (project) -- for the businesses."

During the project's construction, one side of the street is expected to be kept usable.

But at Monday's workshop meeting, nighttime construction plans prompted some council members' concerns that noise and lights would disturb neighboring residents.

There are 8,000 to 9,000 vehicles on Nevada Highway during the day and virtually no traffic at night," Henry said, adding that having the construction done at night is a trade-off. "If you want to put businesses out of business, you can close the street."

Sullard said a lot of merchants would lose 50 percent of their business during the two months if construction was done during the day.

"They can't handle that," he said. "That's why we're putting in the extra to give the contractor a bonus if they get done earlier and a heavy penalty if they are late."

Completion is scheduled before May 1 and an early completion bonus will be used as an enticement for the winning bidder.

He added this time of year is the only window the city has in which to get the project done before the city's big July 4 celebration.

The Coffee Cup, at 558 Nevada Highway, is the city's original business. It started in a tent in 1931 at Browder Cafe and is still owned by Ida Browder Kelly.

Al Stevens, who rents his operation, said the demonstration plan has doubled the parking and improved his business.

"Our business has increased just because of parking and slowing people downtown," he said.

Stevens said he looks forward to seeing the town restored to its 1959 look.

"This is our livelihood and we want people to come downtown," he said. "It is a quaint old town with mom-and-pop businesses and we need parking and benches.

"When it's done, it will make the town look cool."