Joe Antuzzi knows firsthand the decline in business that accompanies dust and detours.

"I've been through two redevelopments in two separate cities, and I've lost two businesses, I'm 0 for 2" said Antuzzi, owner of Il Postale on Washington Street. "That's why I'm getting involved--I've seen what redevelopment can do to small businesses."

The general consensus, among business owners and city officials, is that if the city does not help its downtown stores stay afloat, they will not weather the reconstruction storm.

"It's been proven in the past that when you have major construction projects, businesses in the area are going to suffer," Councilwoman Melinda Hamilton said.

To address--and hopefully prevent--loss of business, which would steal tax dollars from the city, Mayor John Howe established an ad hoc committee to conduct round tables with downtown merchants to discuss the concerns of their small community.

"We need to do something, with the mall coming in and the downtown businesses feeling disenfranchised," Howe said.

Hamilton--chairman of the committee that also includes Councilmen Otto Lee and Fred Fowler--said she proposed the meetings after hearing concerns like Antuzzi's from many of the merchants she visits near her downtown home.

"We've been doing round tables with the auto dealers and helping them out, and from my discussions with the downtown merchants in the last couple months, there hasn't been much discussion on how to help them during the construction," Hamilton said.

That round table discussions will include council members, business owners and city staff. Sunnyvale Economic Development Manager Karen Davis said those concerns are not new to the area.

"These are concerns that they had with the Mozart buildings' construction," Davis said. "Hopefully everyone now has an idea of what worked, and what can work."

Antuzzi has some suggestions for ways to help the merchants in the area immediately surrounding the future construction site. One is for rent subsidies to allow business owners to keep their operations going during a decline in patronage.

In addition to construction concerns, Antuzzi said he hopes the meetings will allow business owners to voice their continued concerns over the Forum's proposed project--and the impact it could have on local, established merchants.

"We need people to get to the table, to tell the city that we're serious that we're not going to let the forum just come in and do whatever they want to downtown," Antuzzi said.

Regardless of what is said at the meeting, Hamilton said she is looking to get the various parties together to let concerns be heard and allow solutions to begin to take shape.

Antuzzi said he plans to be heavily involved, and if done right, the meetings could help him improve his record to 1 for 3.

"I think it can definitely be a positive," Antuzzi said. "As long as they listen."