Hamburg Store Owners Concerned, But Hopeful
By: Penny Hummel
5/24/2006

The Hamburg streetscape is about to begin. (See our Hamburg Pa Streetscape section for up to date details of the project.)The sidewalks along State Street between Third and Fourth, and along Fourth Street, from Pine, north to just past State Street, will undergo a facelift starting on May 22. Uniform sidewalks and curbs along with a decorative inlay, will add to the appeal of downtown Hamburg. It's just the first step in a long-term plan to make Hamburg a popular destination. But improvement won't come with out it's share of headaches.
Some Hamburg Pa residents are already upset at the removal of trees from the downtown area. According to Deena Kershner, Program Manager for Our Town Foundation (OTF), the trees were removed because they were buckling the sidewalks, and many were bug-infested, becoming a hazard to pedestrians and vehicles.
Soon traveling through downtown streets will be even more of an adventure than it already is. But, it's not going to be as bad as originally thought.
The first step of the project is to fill in some vaults that are underground along Fourth Street. Some were coal cellars, but according to Kershner, others were ". . . rooms of nothing under the sidewalk." "They have no historical significance what-so-ever," Kersner said. In a process that is slated to take about one month, contractors originally thought the project would impact parking and traffic patterns immediately, but Kershner recently learned the first two weeks of the project won't involve any heavy equipment, and parking won't be effected.
Traffic will remain two-way on the streets during construction, but at times, parking on one side will be eliminated. But plans are in place to help ease the pain.
Burkey & Driscoll Furniture Store and Funeral Home is opening its lot to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, as long as there isn't a funeral scheduled. Mike Heckart of Miller's 5 & 10 is making improvements to the back of his store, opening up the lot for parking for patrons, and the back door for entrance.
Heckart is backing the project in spite of the cost to his business. He's already shelled out thousands of dollars because his business is one of those with a vault to be filled.
"I'll do anything to draw more people into town," he said.
While many business owners are looking forward to the improvements, they still are concerned about the impact on the bottom line.
"I think it's great that we're getting all this done, but I think it's scary," said Mark Geiger of Necessities New & Used Furniture.
He said he's afraid the project might hurt business a little, but he's excited to see the end result. Kim Kehs of Yarns R' Us is understandably nervous about the effects of the construction on her business. She recently moved her store to its new location on Fourth Street, and expanded her inventory.
"It's going to be hard for my customers to come in here," she said. "It's in the Lord's hands, whatever happens, happens." In spite of her concerns, she agrees the streetscape project will beautify Hamburg.
To help ease the construction burden, OTF is working with local radio stations to advertise Hamburg businesses, and is running some promotions to encourage people to come to town. While the promotions are still in the planning stages, the first will give away an ice cream cone to the first 25 people to enter Miller's 5 & 10 wearing a hard hat.
"It's just going to be a long summer, but hopefully when it's complete, business will be better than ever." John Driscoll, of Burkey & Driscoll, said. "You have to look forward to the outcome," Kershner said.
Stacy Spohn, teller manager of Wachovia Bank,agreed. "It's going to be good for the town," she said.