Sep. 18—Downtown Middletown Inc. hopes a $5 incentive is enough to draw more customers to downtown businesses struggling during the Central Avenue construction.
Jeff Payne, executive director of DMI, said foot traffic at some businesses is down 75%, mostly due to the Central Avenue improvements that have closed the road for months and eliminated street parking.
While he said the complete construction will provide a "tremendous benefit" to the downtown, those businesses are experiencing "significant drops" in foot traffic.
The $5 coupons were distributed at last weekend's Port Middletown Art and Music Festival and will be passed out at community events throughout the year, Payne told City Council members recently.
Brent Dalton, owner of Brent's Smokin' Butts Grill, 1206 Central Ave., said he didn't know about the incentive program until he received one coupon last week.
Coupons will be limited to one per family and recipients will be asked their zip codes to allow DMI to track where visitors live, Payne said.
The coupons are redeemable at any business in the DMI service area and are good for products and services, excluding alcohol, sales tax or tip.
After receiving coupons, the Middletown businesses then mail in the coupons and a receipt and DMI reimburses the businesses, Payne said.
Construction continues on a .56-mile stretch between Charles Street and Verity Parkway in downtown. The bulk of the project is expected to be completed by the end of the year, weather permitting, said Scott Tadych, public works director.
Milcon Concrete Inc., a Troy-based company, is completing the work after submitting the lowest bid of $7,671,291.59 that was 6.3% higher than the engineer's estimate, but 8.4% lower than the next lowest bid, city officials said.
The project includes full-depth pavement replacement, utility replacements and upgrades (water, sewer and storm sewer), pedestrian upgrades including new sidewalks and enhanced crossings, streetscape improvements such as paver amenity strip with decorative street furnishings including benches, bike racks, trash receptacles, street trees and landscape planters, traffic signal upgrades at Canal Street and Clinton Street intersections and decorative LED street light upgrades.
While most of the work is expected to be completed by the end of the year, Tadych said some landscape work won't start until 2023.
Once finished, Tadych believes the road improvements will serve as "a catalyst for revitalization" on that portion of Central.