&uot;Patience please…&uot;

&uot;No pain, no gain…&uot;

We’ve all heard the expressions. Now it is time for the residents and merchants of Columbiana to put those old adages to the test.

Downtown Columbiana is a mess right now … admittedly … but once complete, the new makeover (downtown renovation project) will have residents and merchants at the seat of Shelby County swelling with pride.

That is because downtown Columbiana will become an attractive setting for retail shoppers and others who have business in the various county and legal offices and agencies in and around the county courthouse.

Representatives of R.E. Grills, the company entrusted with the $1.8 million project, are working with city officials the best way they know how to get the job completed as soon as possible.

A company official has said the number of workers is limited due to the confined work space. But once the company gets to the hardscape, curbs and gutters after all the demolition, it is reported that work will move much quicker.

While Mayor Allan Lowe has said a host of utility problems have arisen to slow progress, he said the contractor is right on schedule. He also said the company is doing things right the first time so that issues taken care of in this renovation of downtown will not come back again.

In the meantime, businesses on Main Street are open with side and back entrances.

And like Lowe says, the headaches merchants and residents are experiencing now will be forgotten with the end product.

Downtown Columbiana is still open for business. And with a little patience for the extraordinary end product, all will be right again