CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Downtown Chillicothe business owners are sounding the alarm over downtown road construction, saying the roundabout project has cut their revenue in half, eliminated parking, blocked building entrances, and left them feeling ignored by the city officials they have turned to for help.
The Guardian has received multiple messages from business owners and employees in the affected area describing conditions that have made it nearly impossible for customers to reach them.
“The construction has cut business for the businesses affected in half,” one reader who works at First Group Realty at the corner of Yoctangee and Mill Street wrote to the Guardian. “It has eliminated parking for businesses and residents. The digging is right up to a historical building — Perfection Plus Collision Center — and it has eliminated the entrances into the building.”
The reader also raised safety concerns, saying there have already been multiple close calls involving children near the active construction zone. “The citizens’ complaints have gone ignored by city officials,” they wrote.
Jackie Hill York, owner of A Step Back in Time at 250 Park Street, reached out to the Guardian in March with a simple request — help get the word out that her shop is still open.
“I have a business a step back in time at 250 Park St., and I was trying to find out how I can let people know that during the construction of this roundabout at Mill Street, the businesses are still open,” she wrote. “Is there any way you can help me, please?”
York’s shop remains open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The situation is compounded by the broader construction picture across Chillicothe. The Bridge Street reconstruction project and the US-23/35 roadwork have created citywide traffic disruptions that some say are discouraging visitors from coming to town at all, making an already difficult situation worse for businesses that depend on regular customer traffic to survive.
The Guardian is continuing to gather information from affected business owners. If your business has been impacted by the downtown construction and you would like to share your story, contact the Guardian.