The State Street Redesign Project continues in hopes for a fall 2005 completion of the 100 and 200 blocks.

Construction on the 100 block will start mid-April 2004 and go until the end of August 2004. The 100 block goes from West Mifflin to State Street to Fairchild, including the Dayton and Fairchild intersections and the public spaces on the 100 block of North Carroll Street. The 200 block of State, including the North Henry Street intersection, is scheduled for completion in 2005.

The reconstruction calls for updating streetlights, traffic signs, bus shelters, public way-finders and public art, as well as massive road reconstruction, including water and sewer mains.

The project’s principal planner, Bill Fruhling, estimates the 100 block reconstruction will cost $1.6 million.

“The design is not finalized. Until it is, we don’t have precise numbers,” Fruhling said.

At a public meeting Nov. 13 regarding the State Street design, Fruhling said the feedback was positive and focused on detail rather then design concepts.

Fruhling said the meeting went well, but that more people could have attended.

Business owners are less favorable toward the State Street reconstruction. While the city has kept them up to date on the planning progress, several local business owners said they are worried.

“More then anything, it frightens me. No one is going to come up here,” said Agape Hammond, owner of Ideal for You, 103 State St.

As a new business owner, opening in June 2003, Hammond said she is worried people won’t know she is there and current clientele will forget about her store.

“If the sidewalk is torn up, no one is going to walk on the sidewalk,” Hammond said.

However, Hammond remains both optimistic and realistic.

“I am just going to go with it and see what happens,” Hammond said. “In the meantime, it is going to be hard.”

Similarly, Peter Dast, owner of Bookworks, located at 109 State St., said he projects a 50 percent chance his store will fail.

“I am anticipating 50 percent drop in sales over the summer,” Dast said. He said he hopes construction will be done in a timely manner, but said, “If it takes longer, it is going to be very bad.”

Dast is taking a similar approach to Hammond concerning the construction.

“Whatever happens, happens,” Dast said.

From the beginning, one of their primary concerns was minimizing the effect construction has on local businesses, Fruhling said.

He also said the State Street design committee went with the MSA Professional Services, a consulting firm, because they stressed a high priority on businesses.

Also, a survey seeking information on business hours, delivery times and other aspects of operation was sent to all owners in hopes of working around their needs.

Fruhling said construction will be done “in stages and pieces which address [businesses’] concerns.”

Pending on funding, the 300 and 400 blocks will be reconstructed in 2006 and the 500 and 600 blocks in 2007.

“[It is] the first two blocks that are the trickiest,” Fruhling said.