Central Valley merchants slam construction

A construction crew working on Route 35 in Central Valley hit a gas line Thursday, leading to an evacuation of area businesses and hurting their sales. Local entrepreneurs say their stores had to be

News 12 Staff

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May 27, 2014, 9:43 PM

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Updated 3,713 days ago

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A construction crew working on Route 35 in Central Valley hit a gas line Thursday, leading to an evacuation of area businesses and hurting their sales.

Local entrepreneurs say their stores had to be evacuated three times over the past year due to gas main breaks, driving away customers.

Kim Brown, from Sound FX, says she lost a $1,500 deal at her car accessories shop because the customer was forced to leave during the evacuation.

"My business is bad enough due to the economy," she says.

At Central Valley Pharmacy, prescriptions went unfilled until the staff could come back inside.

"People are calling, nursing homes are calling," says Lucille Zambetti, of Central Valley Pharmacy. "Everybody wants their prescriptions.

The New York State Department of Transportation, which hired the construction crew, says work had been put on hold.

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