By DIANTÉ MARIGNY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
For nearly a month, Kirk Owens, owner of KC Auto Body on Maxan Street, has watched a stack of concrete block the front of his business. What began as a city street improvement project has turned into a costly standstill for Owens, whose once-busy auto repair shop has been reduced to a trickle of customers.
“If they had cleaned this up, I would be able to pull cars up and work, while they are not working,” Owens said. “But they didn’t do that. They left it right here in front of my business.”
Owens, who took ownership of KC Auto Body in April 2023, says the timing couldn’t be worse. “We’re heading into summer — that’s our busiest season,” he explained. “People spend their money on graduation in May, and then they start getting their cars fixed. That’s when I make my living.”
Before the construction began, Owens says his shop handled 10 to 15 vehicles a day. Now, he’s lucky to see one or two every other day. “The only one that is shut completely down is me,” he said.
The street project is part of a federally funded infrastructure upgrade meant to address decades-old pavement and drainage issues. Work began roughly four weeks ago with a burst of activity. Since then, however, progress has largely stalled — frustrating both local officials and nearby businesses.
The city hired Renoworks as the contractor on the job. According to Owens, when he called the company to ask for the concrete to be moved, they said they would — but more than a week later, nothing has changed.
“It doesn’t seem like they are in a hurry,” Owens said. “If you know you’re going to take five months, don’t tear it all up. Tear up half, then the other half. It would’ve made more sense to do one side at a time.”
Renoworks, meanwhile, says the delay lies not with them, but with the city.
“We are at a standstill with the city,” said Renoworks spokesperson Norma Olivares. “The city has been aware of the issues. Our hands are tied now, we are just at the mercy of the city if they want us to continue.”
Olivares cited weather delays and mechanical issues, particularly a broken excavator, as contributing factors. “We report to the city. Our contract is with the city, not with this gentleman,” she added. “We’re still doing whatever we can to move forward.”
City officials, however, push back on the notion that the delay is their fault.
“That’s not the case at all,” said Assistant City Manager John Sandoval. “There have been delays from Renoworks, one with their excavator. But it’s really upsetting that they would say something like that.”
Mayor Martin Cantu echoed the sentiment. “I want to get it done quickly, too,” he said. “But the contractor supposedly said the tractor broke down, they’re having problems with that, and then of course the rain… so they have just been giving us the runaround.”
City Manager Jared Hockema said the city has been pressing the contractor to resume work. “We’ve been calling the company every day,” he said. “They started working about three or four weeks ago. They did a lot in the first week and then stopped. Their equipment broke down.”
According to Hockema, the city’s engineering team even sent Renoworks a formal letter on April 30 urging them to pick up the pace. The email reads in part: ‘There have been numerous complaints from the affected businesses and the traveling public. The City has great concerns about the ongoing progress of the project construction since there has been limited construction done to date. Based on information, little to no construction has been accomplished over the past week. Please direct yourselves to the construction of the project without further delays to get this project completed.’
He also noted that, in response to business access concerns, the city worked on nearby alleys to provide alternate entry points — though Owens disputes their effectiveness in his case.
“They keep saying KC Auto has an entrance to the back,” Owens said. “No, I don’t. That’s my car lift. There’s no way to get a car from the back to where it needs to be repaired in the front.”
City officials acknowledged the impact on Owens’ business but emphasized that the overall delay is relatively short in the scope of the project.
“It’s not an ideal situation,” said Hockema. “In the past two or three weeks, there’s been a severe impact on the businesses, which is very regrettable — but it’s not a severe delay to the project overall.”
The project, officials say, is a long-overdue upgrade to infrastructure that hasn’t been replaced in nearly a century. “The street hasn’t been replaced for 90 years,” Hockema said. “In the long run, it’s a positive improvement for the city and the businesses.”
Still, that’s little consolation for Owens as another quiet day passes at his shop.
“Don’t have empathy for me,” Owens said. “Do your job.”
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