Water cutoff at Groucho's

Editor's note: This letter was sent to us Nov. 2. We apologize for not running it sooner.

After two years of quiet compliance with the City of Columbia on the rebuilding of 5-Points, today Groucho's Deli has finally had enough. We didn't cry or moan when they put up a fence directly in front of our store for four weeks last year. We never complained about the double digit decline in sales since this project began. But at noon today, our water was disconnected. With a restaurant full of people and a 65 year history of offering fast, fresh, and original food, construction workers at the corner of Blossom and Harden shut down our water supply. I personally went to the job site and asked why the water was off. They didn't believe they shut down my block's water supply. Four men were in the "hole" smoking cigarettes and looking to each other for answers. They all agreed that a different quadrant should have been cut off, but still it would be at least an hour before they could hook me and our historic restaurant back into the water line.

I called Kenneth Wells for help and answers, but even a very friendly Mr. Wells admitted, "I'm not sure why, but we'll work on it." At 12:45, I visited the site again. One fellow in the "hole" was working while four watched. This time they told me it was surely another hour.

Who is responsible? how does it look when you tell your customers there is no more ice, water, soda, tea or working toilets and sinks. At 1 pm we found out it was going to be much longer. There is no reliable chain of command from the Five Points Merchants Association, whose practices have long been questionable, or the city administrators who are largely unqualified for a project of this magnitude. No matter how or when the 5-Points Beautification Project concludes, it will always be remembered by Groucho's Deli (one of the oldest merchants in the city and in 5-Points) as a horrific waste of time, money, and goodwill to the community.

Bruce Miller

President Groucho's 5-Points Deli