Shoppers complain that dust, construction equipment and torn-up sidewalks are making it difficult to get to stores and attend weekly outdoor concerts in the Village Shopping District. Parking and navigating the streets along Kercheval is a major problem, they say, as gas and water lines and sidewalks are replaced during the first renovations in the area in 17 years.
Winters are so awful here and summers are so short.
It's a shame we've had to waste a summer of concerts and shopping in the village. John Denomme, promotional manager for the Village Merchants Association, acknowledges the problems, but he sees a silver lining. The renovations will help the Grosse Pointes keep up with other cities such as Battle Creek, Romeo and St. Clair Shores, which have already improved their downtown areas, Denomme says. The village has been in existence for nearly 80 years and has been built up and built up, but no one has ever gone back to do what we are doing. That begins after all the concrete has been poured.