CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The historic West Side Market in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood is about to see a slate of upgrades to its restrooms, plumbing and electrical system that vendors say are long overdue.

Crews began work Tuesday, remodeling restrooms on the south side of the building -- a six-month, $1.5 million project intended “to increase the overall visitor experience at the West Side Market and maintain its status as the premiere public market in the country,” according to a city news release.

The project will include:

* Replacement of underground pipes and electrical switchgears.

* The installation of sewage ejection pumps and major grease trap interceptors.

* Re-roofing.

* Upgrades to lighting and electrical upgrades.

* Masonry repairs and door replacements.

Restrooms on the north side of the building will remain open during construction.

City Communications Director Maureen Harper said Tuesday that those restrooms, which normally are used by vendors and market staff, likely will be upgraded in the future, as well.

Vince Bertonaschi, owner of Vince’s Meats and president of the United West Side Market Tenants Association, said in an interview Tuesday that he’s “happy as a lark” to see the improvements. Bertonaschi said plumbing issues above the restrooms have damaged the ceilings, and water has never drained properly from sinks anywhere in the facility because pipes are too small.

Vendors also have complained in the past about sewage bubbling up from the floor during business hours, a health risk also caused by inadequate plumbing.

“We’ve been screaming about that stuff for a long time,” Bertonaschi said. “It looks like they’re finally going to fix some of the adverse conditions we’ve been working under. That is awesome. I’ll be happy to see anything done.”

Harper said that the plumbing fixes should help address the concern of backed-up sewage.

The tenants association has wrangled with the city on a number of issues related to the city-owned market, from hours of operation and the ability of vendors to transfer leases when they sell their businesses to the use of the adjacent parking lot for non-customers.

Earlier this year, the vendors passed out flyers warning those entering the lot that their cars would be towed if they exceeded a two-hour limit. The city, which had been pushing to begin charging customers to park, told the vendors that they did not have the authority to tow vehicles, despite the thousands of dollars they pay each month to maintain the lot.

Bertonaschi said Tuesday that the vendors never towed any cars, except for a few that were parked there overnight when snow plows needed to clean the lot. Parking is still a problem, he said, as the lot gets congested with people patronizing other restaurants and bars in the neighborhood.