ALLEGAN, Mich. — The city of Allegan's major renovation project downtown was supposed to take two years to complete, but city leaders say it finished early.
"We are in the final stages of our downtown reconstruction project in downtown Allegan. It's been over 40 years since the city has done a makeover in our downtown," Allegan City Manager Joel Dye said. "It was a Herculean lift for, you know, the contractors and the city to pull this off."
The project includes putting utilities underground, adding new water mains, widening the sidewalks, planting dozens of trees, installing new landscaping and creating a pedestrian gathering place.
"Our contractor said they have enough crew members to get it done in one year," Dye explained. "So, when we made the decision to switch to do this, within one year, it very much affected some of the businesses. Plans that were established for a two-year project had to be adjusted. And, thankfully, in downtown Allegan, we have very flexible business owners. Community pride runs deep within this group of business owners, and they were more than willing to, you know, do the extra steps they had to do to help us get this project done in one year."
That year turned into just around eight months.
The community pride and flexibility Dye mentioned can be seen at Beyond Bones, a nonprofit that provides employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
"I'm so thankful. Originally, we were nervous about it because we were supposed to be the second year, so we were excited about having one because the store had only been open for less than a year, so we were excited about having a summer before construction started. And then when they moved us up to this summer, we were a little nervous but, you know, it's kind of like ripping off the band aid. It's nice that it's all done in less than a year and looking beautiful, so we're excited for Allegan," Beyond Bones Manager Lisa Roussin said.
And the fact that it all came together in time for Small Business Saturday is just the icing on the all-natural, freshly-baked dog treats available at Beyond Bones.
"It's been so good. It's been, I mean, I've just been checking our sales and it's been incredible— not just here, which I'm so thankful that our market is going well and the storefront is going well— but just to see so many people out supporting small businesses, especially in Allegan after a summer of slower sales, it's really exciting," Roussin added.
