‘Walk Owego’ puts a healthy spin on Lake Street project

A new program launched on May 15 in coordination with the Lake Street construction project, “Walk Owego,” inspires individuals who work or live in the Village of Owego, along with visitors, to adopt an active lifestyle. “Walk Owego” puts a healthy spin on the project by encouraging people to enjoy walking through the historic village. 

Lake Street will be under construction over the course of the next few months. Suez is expected to complete replacement of water lines some time in July, followed by NYSEG work which will extend into late September.

While faced with the critical nature of the project, Julie Lovelass, co-owner of The Owego Kitchen on Lake Street, along with other business owners, decided to make the best of an uneasy situation. They have since joined together to make an old adage a reality, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”             

During the duration of the project, all stores and sidewalks are open as usual. Lovelass commented, “There is a big misconception that Lake Street businesses are not open.”  

One example of an effort to make access to their business easier, Original Italian Restaurant and Original’s Bar and Lounge encourage their customers to utilize the back door entrance via the Court Street parking lot. For another option to Lake Street access, the paved walkway from the Court Street parking lot to Lake Street, in between The Owego Kitchen and Edward Jones, remains open.

In addition, Tioga County, Tioga County Tourism, and the Historic Owego Marketplace have worked together to help business owners and their employees access new parking options, as well as for visitors and customers.  

“Every business on Lake Street is still open and we are doing everything we can to make things as simple as possible,” shared Bradley Crews, Originals Bar and Lounge manager, adding, “We’ve instructed our employees to park outside of the immediate downtown area and take the walk in.” This effort helps clear up some parking closer to Lake Street.

Getting to Lake Street, along with Front and Main Streets and other spots within the two-and-one-half-mile radius of the village will take a few extra steps, and that is where “Walk Owego” comes into play. The idea for “Walk Owego” originated from a similar concept that Lovelass learned elsewhere.

“Walk Owego” signs, in a noticeable bright green color, have been placed at various spots around the village, and each sign tells walkers how many steps are needed to reach a destination. For example, at the parking area near the former St. Patrick’s School, a sign posted indicates that there are 540 steps from that point to the intersection of Lake and Front Streets.  

For additional information, including an announcement about a campaign to reward walkers, follow the Facebook page “Walk Owego” or visit the website, experiencetioga.com.