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A guide to help your business through the West Lindsey Street bond project
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CONSTRUCTIONROAD
A GUIDE TO HELP YOUR BUSINESSTHROUGH THE WEST LINDSEY
STREET BOND PROJECT
SURVIVAL GUIDE
CONTACT INFORMATION
FOR GENERAL INQUIRES:Sara Kaplan
Retail Marketing CoordinatorOffice of the City Manager
FOR TECHNICAL INQUIRES:Scott Sturtz
City EngineerDepartment of Public Works
For detailed project information, please visitwww.LindseyStreetNorman.com
This guide was created by the City of Norman withsupport from the Norman Chamber of Commerce
and VisitNorman.
www.normanok.govwww.normanchamber.com
www.visitnorman.com
Dear Norman business owner,
As you are likely aware, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) isabout to embark on the largest single road construction contract in the state'shistory. The project will reconfigure two interchanges of Interstate 35 in Norman,Highway 9 and Lindsey Street.
The City of Norman's Lindsey Street bond project will coincide with theconstruction timeline of the the ODOT project. The bond project includeswidening of West Lindsey street to four lanes from 24th Avenue to Berry Road;access management, drainage improvements and streetscape enhancements. Detailsof the construction project, including renderings, timelines and updates can befound online at www.lindseystreetnorman.com.
The City of Norman recognizes that road construction may present manychallenges for your business. Our aim in creating this guide is to provide you withinformation to plan accordingly, minimize impacts to your business, and perhapshelp you and your employees prepare for any future disruptions. If you have anyadditional questions, please don't hesitate to contact city staff. We want to helpyour business throughout the process. Construction is challenging, but we hope theend result will be very rewarding for your business.
Sincerely,
Steve LewisCity Manager, City of Norman
GET INVOLVED EARLY
Stay Informed:At this time, you have likely received notifications from the City of Norman or attended apublic meeting about the Lindsey Street bond project. It may be beneficial for you to stayabreast of current and upcoming construction schedules that will impact your street and yourbusiness. In addition to direct mailers and public meetings, the City of Norman will periodicallydistribute press releases through various channels including email lists and social media.Information will also be made available on the City of Norman website and a new websitespecifically created to communicate information about this project. We will also bepartnering with the Chamber of Commerce, VisitNorman and the University of Oklahoma todisseminate information. Open communication between businesses, property owners, contractors and city officialsis fundamental to mitigate disruption from construction. If you have not previously receivednotifications from the City of Norman, please contact Sara Kaplan, the Retail MarketingCoordinator, to be added to the distribution list.
BUSINESS PLANNING
What you can do before construction begins:As a business owner, you understand the importance of planning and adapting to marketconditions. It is never too early to start planning for an upcoming construction project. Hereare some ideas on how other businesses have prepared for a construction project.
Keep your staff lean.Carefully monitor your labor costs. If an employee leaves, consider leaving their positionvacant temporarily. You may also consider reducing hours for your staff temporarily.
Carefully manage inventory.If possible, consider slimming down your inventory. Just as you would during your slowerseason or after a holiday, careful inventory management can be a useful strategy fordealing with construction. Having an inventory clearance sale could also be a great way toentice customers to come to your business despite inconveniences that are often perceivedduring road construction processes.
Secure a line of credit.Secure a line of credit to have ready if needed during a period of the construction that is inclose proximity to your business. Contact your banker now, as commercial lending can bean involved process. If you need assistance, consider contacting the Oklahoma SmallBusiness Development Center (www.ucosbdc.org).
BUSINESS PLANNING, continued
Keep your customers in the loop.Gather your existing customers’ contact information before construction begins so you cankeep them up to date on road conditions, alternative routes and promotions. Consideradding these updates to your existing marketing efforts, such as print ads, e-newsletters andsocial media campaigns. Plan to inform them well in advance. Your customers' impressionof the construction inconvenience may be worse than the reality. Keeping them in the loopwill make them less likely to alter their shopping habits.
Work with your employees to develop a game plan.Keeping your staff informed and up to date on the construction project and timeline isalmost as important as keeping your customers informed. Make sure that all of youremployees that communicate with customers are able to give adequate directions onalternate routes to your business during construction. Consider writing a script to keep bythe phone for when customers call to ask directions.
Work together with neighborhood businesses.There is strength in numbers. Work with your local business or merchants association tocoordinate marketing efforts and stay in contact with city officials and construction projectleaders. Cooperative advertising is a great strategy to share marketing costs and go biggerthan you can alone, such as full-page ads or billboards.
TIPS FOR DURI
TIPS FOR DURING CONSTRUCTION
Communication will remain fundamental.Continue efforts to keep yourself, customers and staff informed throughout the project.
Make sure signage is clear and approved.Managing access to your business may be required during a construction project. Makesure there are signs directing your customers to the right entrance. The City of Normanwill be installing some directional signage during the project. Temporary sign permitsmay also be granted for businesses wanting to add additional signage during the project.Production and installation of signs are the responsibility of the business, if approved.Please contact City staff with signage questions.
Keep the project manager’s contact informationclose at handIf unexpected issues arise, contacting the right person will lead you to a solution moreefficiently.
Be prepared for dust, debris, and noise.Traffic implications are only one side effect of road construction: dust, debris and noise arealso common issues. Consider how these factors may also impact your operations.
Develop a friendly rapport with construction crews.The on-site construction workers have little control over the management of the project.They are simply following instructions from their supervisors. If an issue arises, contactthe appropriate supervisor to get the best results. The city will provide this information toyou as the project nears. Depending on the nature of your business, the construction crewscould also become loyal customers.
TIPS FOR DURING CONSTRUCTION, continued
Alert suppliers and distributors.Don’t forget to let your supplier know about alternative routes or blocked access. This willsave your delivery drivers a lot of frustration.
Consider altering business hours.Consider staying open later in the evenings or on weekends after construction crews are gonefor the day. Also, plan special events during times when construction impact (like noise) isminimal.
Make the construction work for you.If you have been considering a remodel or upgrade to your business, this may be the idealtime to do it.
POST-CONSTRUCTION
Once construction comes to a close, acknowledge all the hard work and support of allparties, including your staff and customers. Participate in any ceremonies or special eventshosted by the City of Norman or neighboring businesses. Or consider hosting your ownpromotion or special event to welcome your customers back to the new and improved LindseyStreet. Finally, support other businesses through future construction projects by giving themyour patronage and mentorship.
www.LindseyStreetNorman.com
