Two Madeira restaurants already struggling with months of Camargo Road construction lost thousands of dollars more when a storm knocked out their power for days the week of Aug. 11.

Alison Tepe-Guy, owner of Ali's Bar and Grill on Camargo Road, told WCPO the outage forced her to throw out roughly $14,000 in refrigerated food and drinks. Combined with lost revenue from closing for multiple days, she estimates the storm set her back nearly $25,000.

"We're small," Tepe-Guy said. "Even a $5,000 loss is astronomical to us."

Down the road, Bailey Family Catering owner DeAnna Bailey-Sanchez said she lost at least a few thousand dollars in product from the same outage. It was the first time in more than 10 years of business that she had to file an insurance claim for spoiled inventory.

Already hurting before the storm

Both businesses sit along the stretch of Camargo Road between Miami and Euclid avenues where the city is replacing a water main, adding sidewalks and resurfacing the street. The road has been reduced to one lane with no access from Miami Avenue, and construction is expected to last until November.

The timing couldn't be worse.

The nearly $1.6 million Phase 1 streetscape contract, awarded to Rack & Ballauer Excavating Co. in April, is funded by Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) grants. A separate $1.48 million water main replacement contract went to Howell Contractors in 2024.

Bailey-Sanchez told WCPO in July that her catering shop had only five customers on one Wednesday after 12 hours of being open. Tepe-Guy told WCPO in July that some customers had said, "We'll see you when it's done."

Jeffrey Seeley, owner of Piazza Discepoli on Camargo Road, told Madeira City Council at its Dec. 8, 2025, meeting that his restaurant had lost 40% of foot traffic and that promotional efforts were not bringing customers back.

City says grant deadlines drive the timeline

City Manager Mike Norton-Smith described the work in July as a "once-in-a-generation type project" and said outside grant funding came with deadline requirements that drove the simultaneous construction schedule.

A Phase 2 project covering Camargo Road from Euclid Avenue to the city boundary is estimated at $3.79 million, with $2.94 million sought from SORTA and $850,000 already secured through a Congressional Directed Spending award. That phase is set to begin in 2027.

What's next

Both Tepe-Guy and Bailey-Sanchez said the best way residents can help is to come in and support their businesses during construction. Madeira City Council's next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 24.