Randazzles Hair Company upended by severed sewer line from neighboring construction job

TaMaryn Waters | Tallahassee Democrat

Construction work on a downtown renovation job severed a sewer line about a week ago and uprooted operations at the Randazzles Hair Company.

Devastated, owner Michelle Posey said she was forced to let go of her entire staff since she's unsure when it can reopen.

Thursday morning, a trench exposing a white pipe in the ground replaced what would be a tiled walkway in the narrow shotgun salon. Mounds of loose dirt are everywhere. Clear plastic tarps are protecting the receptionist desk, hooded dryers and work stations.

She'd normally see between 20 to 30 customers per day in December, the salon's busiest time of year. Now she estimates her business will take a $5,000 per week hit.

"I don’t know when this is going to be open again," Posey said, in tears. "It’s hard to watch something I’ve worked so hard for be ripped out from underneath you and you have no control."

The salon opened in 1986 and has changed hands several times before Posey bought it in 2008. Its location served the parade of government professionals working downtown, including lobbyists and those working downtown or at the capital.

On Dec. 5, Posey consulted a plumber after her toilet overflowed in the afternoon as she was working in the shop. She said the plumber "hit something solid and the snake wouldn't go any further."

GBGH Construction, a Tallahassee-based commercial and residential developer, has spent the last four months on a $1.5 million renovation of 107 College Ave, next door to Randazzles.

Matt McHaffie, the company's owner, said the job required new infrastructure. His crew on Nov. 27 removed and installed a new sewer line. A week and a half later, McHaffie said Posey alerted him to the salon's plumbing issue.

It turns out, he said, the sewer line from the salon was running through his job site's property within the decades-old building – a common practice years ago that wouldn't be permitted under the city's code enforcement for new or renovated construction.

The incident has created tense exchanges between the contractor and the salon, along with the salon's landlord and lobbyist David L. Ericks.

McHaffie said he's spent 14-hour days on trying to remedy the issue and has consulted the city on a cost-effective approach to get the salon operational again.

"It was not done intentionally," McHaffie said. "We’re working 100 percent to help them get right."

Although McHaffie said he could have his work done by Monday, Posey said she finds that hard to believe based on the salon's current state.

"I don't know when this is going to be open again," Posey said. "I can’t tell you what’s going to happen an hour from now."

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Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter.