The Downtown Mall infrastructure makeover is on schedule to be completed by the first week of May and is operating below its planned budget, Charlottesville officials announced earlier this week.
The project consists of several renovations to the Downtown Mall, perhaps the most noticeable of which is the rebricking of the mall’s walkways. City Council Member Satyendra Huja said the City chose to use slightly larger bricks after determining the Mall’s old bricks were in poor condition and could not be reused. He added, though, that the City is recycling the old bricks.
In addition to the brick replacement, Mayor Dave Norris said the remodeling also includes new electrical wiring, storm water improvements, the renovation or installation of light posts, benches, tree grates, trees, street crossings and the installation of a free wireless internet system that will be available throughout the entire Downtown Mall area.
“The reason we did all this is primarily because the downtown business community felt that the infrastructure downtown had gotten pretty shoddy and had been allowed to crumble over the years,” Norris said. “[It] needed an overhaul.”
Construction crews have encountered a few minor problems, however, including the discovery of “an old decrepit manhole” — hidden underneath the bricks — which will soon be replaced.
Despite these slight setbacks, Norris said the project will meet its May deadline while still remaining below its allotted budget of $7.5 million. Operating below budget has not affected the renovation’s quality, he said.
“There were a lot of nay sayers when we started this that said it was going to go way over budget,” Norris said. “But the reality of it is that ... the project is coming in way under budget and we’re very pleased with the results so far.”
City residents, though, have reacted both positively and negatively to the reconstruction efforts. Some University students, like fourth-year College student Pam Jessell, said the reconstruction will help the Downtown Mall’s appearance, but second-year College student Saleh Karaman said he “did not think there was a problem [in the Downtown Mall] in the first place.”
Downtown Mall business owners and employees, meanwhile, have expressed even stronger mixed feelings about the construction.
The Needle Lady owner Mimi Hyde said she was skeptical about whether the construction would be completed by May but said she thought the project was going well.
“They’re moving fast,” Hyde said. “I think it will be wonderful this summer.”
Miller’s bartender Angie Telofski, though, said she believes the construction is a waste of money and time.
“It is taking away all of the business’s revenue down here,” Telofski said, adding that the construction has resulted in a decrease in business and worsened the economic recession’s effects on local businesses.
In response to some citizens’ concerns, Norris explained that business activity downtown is usually slow in the winter anyway. He noted that local businesses are usually the ones who suffer during economic struggles, regardless of construction issues, and said the renovations should not be blamed for financial losses.
“Certainly there have been some inconveniences but most people have responded very well,” Norris said.
Norris also added that when the decision to renovate the Downtown Mall was discussed at a public hearing, “every single speaker spoke in favor of doing the project.”
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