Business owners: Coligny construction cutting into our bottom line

On an average March day, Hinchey's Chicago Bar & Grill serves about 40 lunches, according to the owner of the Hilton Head Island restaurant.

But on Thursday, owner Bob Hinchey stood outside, helping disoriented tourists navigate a path around the Coligny Park construction site to his mostly empty dining room. Only 15 meals were served during the "rush" that day, he said.

"People don't know that you can still get here," he said. "This is going to significantly hurt our business for up to four months, particularly with tourists, who don't really know their way around anyway. They're going to give up if they can't get in easy and go somewhere else. That could put us out of business."

HANGING ON

The entrance to Coligny Beach Park and two parking lots were demolished over the past week. One of those parking lots was in front of Beach Market, where a handful of T-shirt shops and Hinchey's operate. That lot will be converted to all handicapped parking.

The demolition is part of a $1.43 million project to redevelop the park with new bath and changing rooms, showers, better seating and a ground-level fountain for children to play in. The revamped park is expected to become a big draw for tourists.

The shopkeepers at Beach Market, located across North Forest Beach Drive from Coligny Plaza, like the prospect of a revitalized beach park that brings more business, but wonder if they'll be able to hang on long enough to reap the rewards. The work is expected to be done by Memorial Day weekend.

"It's going to be a good project and a benefit to the town, but the timing's awful," said Eileen Harrell, owner of Funky Beach, a T-shirt shop. "We just went through winter, which was slow, and now that warm weather is coming, they've closed us down. Spring break is one of our most important times. In March and April we start making money again so we can order our summer inventory."

ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM

The town is trying to be responsive to the business owners' concerns, said project manager Mike Roan, but there's a certain amount of inconvenience, noise and dust that simply comes with any construction project.

Today, the town will reconnect a pathway around the torn-up parking lots to Hinchey's front steps. Soon, signs will alert motorists that the businesses are open and that parking is available nearby, Roan said.

Even if the parking lot closest to Beach Market is finished before everything else, the town can't open it until the entire project is finished, Roan said. That's because the one entry and exit point would send traffic through an active construction site, presenting safety concerns.

"We want to continue to be good neighbors to the properties," he said. "I think the park will be a benefit for everyone in the neighborhood, but you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. Unfortunately, that's where we are right now. We're trying to minimize any of the inconvenience the project is causing."

Town Councilman John Safay, who represents the area, met with business owners Thursday. He's optimistic the town can make a few changes to make getting in and out of Beach Market a little easier.

"The town has to do everything it can to accommodate our local businesses during this construction, particularly because it was delayed to take place in the spring," he said. "I will have further talks (today) to see what we can do to alleviate this problem. It is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed and it needs to be addressed immediately for the relief of these businesses."