Building repairs pose difficulties for neighboring Broadway businesses in downtown Fargo

FARGO — For the second time in about as many years, a pair of neighboring businesses located at 300 Broadway in Fargo are experiencing difficulties arising from repairs being done to the building they rent space in.

The issues include a decrease in the already limited number of parking places available to the businesses, as well as extensive scaffolding and tarp-like protective coverings that drape the storefronts that are home to Sandy’s Donuts and the Erbert & Gerbert’s sandwich shop.

That’s according to Ann Marie Olson, manager of the downtown Sandy’s Donuts, and Todd Beeby, owner of Erbert & Gerbert’s, who stressed that they remain happy to be a part of Fargo’s downtown and in many ways they are satisfied with how the building’s owner, Kilbourne Group, handles the property.

“We love it down here and we’re grateful for everything. It’s just tough, year after year, ” Olson said, referring to repair work at 300 Broadway that she and Beedy say has been ongoing, to one degree or another, for about the past seven years.

Asked for comment, Kilbourne Group referred questions to the 300 Broadway Condo Association.

Matthew Johnson, condominium association manager, said there is a leak on the balcony at 300 Broadway and repairs are in progress.

Johnson said the first step of the repair was to remove concrete and he said the contractor handling the project will soon water test and determine the waterproofing product to be used and install it as soon as possible.

“The 300 Broadway Association knows this negatively impacts the businesses and the contractor is doing their best to minimize impact by keeping the sidewalk open during this repair,” Johnson added.

Olson and Beedy said water finding its way to places it shouldn’t be has been a recurring issue, with balconies of private condominiums above the commercial spaces being part of the puzzle.

Beedy said he worries the ceiling of his sandwich shop will collapse again as it did a number of years ago prior to subsequent repair work that failed to put water problems to rest.

He said after the collapse the sandwich shop was without a ceiling for about a year and a half.

According to Beedy, the space above the shop’s ceiling still has a maze of duct work that repair workers installed to guide excess water away.

As they chatted in the large open concourse that separates the two businesses, Beedy and Olson pointed to areas high on the walls above that showed signs of repairs having been done, or in need of being done.

They said the bottom-line issue for the businesses is the impact repair projects have on customers and employees who must compete with construction workers for parking spaces.

Olson said there have been times when seniors and sometimes mothers with children have called the doughnut shop to say they couldn’t find a parking spot near the store and could someone please deliver their order to them a block or two away.

Beedy and Olson said it is also frustrating to have projects last longer than what they were told to expect, which they said was the case with work that happened about two years ago.

They said what was described to them as a six-week project ended up lasting nine months.

In regards to the current work, Olson and Beedy said it would have been less disrupting if it had started earlier in the summer, when business is typically slower.

“This is our busiest month,” Olson said, referring to October.