Coping with Construction: Palatine Road Businesses Weather Upheaval

Bob Kramer has been an ardent supporter of downtown Palatine since relocating his business, Kramer Photographers, to 101 W. Palatine Rd. in 1991.

But the road construction downtown has sometimes tried even his patience. The sidewalk in front of Kramer's business was completely torn up. The carpet near his entrance is soiled with dirt tracked in by workers and customers. One day, both entrances to his business were simultaneously blocked.

The construction foreman quickly rectified the situation.

"The people for the photographs that we do they seem to trudge through the gravel and dirt and whatever else it is, so that's been OK," Kramer said. "What we are really looking forward to is when it's done, because it should be fantastic. We have to look at it as a short-term loss; hopefully it will be a long term gain."

All lanes of traffic are expected to be open by Thanksgiving, but the project will not be completely finished until 2011.

The $9.5 million project will widen and completely reconstruct Palatine Road from Smith Road to Kerwood Street. Turn lanes will be added at numerous intersections and a new drainage system installed. The goal of the project is to improve both safety and traffic flow through downtown.

Plum Grove Road also is being widened and rebuilt between Washington and Slade Streets. And new railroad crossings will be completed at the intersection of Plum Grove and Palatine. Several sidewalks also are being torn up and replaced.

Most of the project, about $7.7 million, is federally funded.

The village has placed signs at various locations stating that downtown businesses remain open, hoping to mitigate any negative impact. The construction activity was not enough to keep Suzanne Adamski from one of her favorite restaurants on a recent afternoon.

"It's daunting, there's a lot going on," Adamski said. "The nice thing is there's less traffic."

Adamski was enjoying lunch at the Artistic Cuisine Restaurant, 16 S. Bothwell St. Despite working at Fremd High School on Quentin Road, she still ventured downtown. She said she lives near downtown and is able to avoid construction trouble spots by taking side streets.

Artistic Cuisine owner Ezequiel Otero said the restaurant has not suffered noticeable adverse effects from the construction and believes the improvements are worth it.

"I think it's going to be good for the neighborhood," he said.

Some concerns with the project have been expressed to the city.

American Legion Family of Palatine representatives are worried that Palatine Road will be several feet closer to the stairs of the legion's entrance at 122 W. Palatine Rd. Legion representatives have contacted the village and asked that a railing or protective barrier be installed.

Matt Barry, assistant village engineer, said the request was under review.

Palatine has worked to keep business owners informed about the project, Barry said in an e-mail response to questions. Palatine hosted an open house about the project, hand-delivered project brochures and operates the Palatine Road Construction web site.

Still, some impact from a project of this scope is unavoidable.

"Its definitely affected business," said Martha Pafralides, owner of Bead World, 8 S. Brockway St. "People can't walk down here. The older customers have trouble navigating the street."

Pafradlides said she was glad that the city made an effort to make the area passable to pedestrians during Downtown Palatine Street Fest at the end of August.

For his part, Kramer, whose business is located around the corner from Bead World, has remained optimistic.

"I am all for what we can do to improve downtown Palatine," Kramer said.

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