ROCKFORD Illinois Gaming Board officials have approved 815 Entertainment LLC's request to begin construction of a temporary Rockford casino.

Construction of the temporary casino could begin in a matter of daysat the former location of Giovanni's Restaurant and Convention Center, 610 N. Bell School Road.

"Based on a review of the materials applicant submitted in support of this request along with your representations, and pursuant to the authority delegated to me under the June 11, 2020, Board Resolution … request is hereby approved," Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter wrote in an approval letter obtained by the Rockford Register Star."Applicant may now commence construction at the temporary casino facility."

More: Investors for Hard Rock Casino Rockford granted approval, project takes major step forward

Construction is expected to last about three months. Before it can open however, the casino still must obtain the Gaming Board's permission to operate and receive approval of the casino'ssecurity and surveillance setup.

The 37,790-square-foot restaurant and banquet hall will be transformed into a temporary casino location. Plans are for the location to undergoan estimated$8.8 million renovation. It is expected tofeature736 slot machines, maintain two restaurants and could possibly include a"Rock Shop."

More: Castrogiovanni family to sell casino ownership stake, restaurant after Hard Rock ruling

Mayor Tom McNamara said this is a proud day for Rockford, which is the first of the six new casino locations approved by a 2019 state gambling expansionto begin construction.

"This is a huge accomplishment for our community, and it will bring hundreds of construction jobs to Rockford, McNamara said in a written statement.

The temporary casino could operate for two years while the permanent, $311 millionHard Rock Casino Rockford is under construction. That project must still obtain further permission before construction can begin at the entrance to Interstate 90 and East State Street at the former location of the Clock Tower Resort.

State Sen. Dave Syverson said he has championed a casino in Rockford for 20 years and worked with four mayors, four governors and numerous legislators in an effort to make it a reality.

Syverson said815 Entertainment LLC has made smart moves from the start that have put its proposalin a position to succeed, partneringwith Hard Rock International to operate the casinos andRingland-Johnson Construction to build them. Syverson also gives them credit for havingagreements worked out with local governments and labor unions allowing them to "hit the ground running."

"While I would have loved to have the projectcompleted years ago, in the end, the final project turned out to be even better than we had ever hoped for when we started," Syverson said in an email to the Register Star. "The Hard Rock brand is the most sought after brand in the world and we now have that in Rockford."

Jeff Kolkey: jkolkey@rrstar.com; @jeffkolkey

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Ready to rock? Construction of temporary Rockford casino approved - Rockford Register Star

BOSTON Shawmut Design and Construction announce that it has completed a historic renovation of The Langham, Boston hotel.

Originally constructed as The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in the early 1920s, theRenaissance Revival-style buildings faade was designated as a Boston landmark in 1978, just before being converted into a hotel. Shawmut partnered with architect Dyer Brown and interior design firm Richmond International on the renovation to preserve the history of the building and highlight its architectural elements while incorporating the finest materials and bringing the national landmark to a new standard of modern luxury.

The renovation of the 288,000 square-foot hotel included the 312 guest rooms, eight loft suites, and the Chairman Suite; new Grana restaurant and The Fed cocktail pub; the new, private Langham Club; and the new Lincoln Ballroom. The team installed new finishes, millwork, and furniture in guest room corridors, lobby, and meeting spaces and updated the hotels infrastructure with all new heating and cooling units, plumbing, and life safety.

The completion of The Langham, Boston renovation is a significant milestone not only for Shawmut but for Bostons luxury hotel market, said Randy Shelly, executive vice president of hospitality, Shawmut Design and Construction. Our team expertly managed the delicate balance of honoring the buildings origins through preservation and restoration techniques while enhancing the guest experience with technological integrations and the finest of finishes.

The Langham, Bostons exterior received updates including new awningstrading in the hotels signature red for charcoaland a new entrance canopy with custom-made bronze panels from the Czech Republic.

The updated lobby includes a concierge and lounge area featuring a new fireplace. Brass and glass decorative screens create privacy between the lounge and concierge, and reception and elevators. In the rear lobby, the Shawmut team installed a brand-new grand staircase, clad in ebonized wood panels with antique brass accents and a leather-wrapped handrail.

Set in what was once the grand hall of the Federal Reserve,Granarestaurantfeatures the buildings original terrazzo floors, which the team restored, repaired, and infilled with custom color-matching. Gold leaf was applied to the original decorative plaster box trims and floral reliefs on the ceilings perimeter, which were carefully protected during construction. To mimic the buildings original domed glass skylight, the team installed a backlit suspended ceiling. The original brass Federal Reserve seal embedded in the floor when the bank first opened in 1922 was protected during the renovation and remains in the center of the room.

The Fed,the Langhamsnew cocktail pub, pays homage to the buildings origin as the Federal Reserve with walnut millwork inspired by safety deposit boxes. A fluted walnut bar face and Italian marble bar top is complemented by a custom brass and glass drink rack with illuminated panels, installed by Shawmut. To access the outdoor patio, the team created a new opening by cutting through two feet of the building, including the granite faade, and installed a new brass door.

The Langhams former restaurant,CafFleuri, was transformed into the newLincoln Ballroom. The team added a new ceiling with a large central skylight under the existing atrium to provide natural light to the new ballroom. Gold leaf was applied at the coffered ceiling trims and silver leaf under the skylight. A fully-integrated A/V system was also installed, and the team performed structural work to support the projectors, which are installed on integrated scissor lifts to allow for remote control and extension from the ceiling.

The Governors Room, formerly the Officers Lounge and conference room for the Federal Reserve, was converted to a formal boardroom, marked by the original marble fireplace which was shifted three feet over to be centered in the updated room.The Langham Club,a new private club space on the eighth floor, reconfigured guest rooms to create a reception area, dining area, library with custom millwork bookcases, and buffet featuringgrigio biliemi, blue volga, and statuario extrastones.

New features of the hotels 312 guestrooms and suites include a sitting area with custom corbel shelves made to complement the crown molding; doorbells tied to a Lutron switch to allow guests to indicate if they dont want to be disturbed or if theyd like their room cleaned; and Legrand Adorne switch systems with dimmable lights. The bathrooms feature marble hand-selected by the project team from the Santucci Quarry in Carrara, Italy, and amenities including rain shower heads, heated toilet seats, demister mirrors, and speakers connected to the bedroom television.

The residentially-styled Loft Suites feature 16-foot-high ceilings and the original 12 -foot high brass-embossed windows. The Shawmut team refurbished the brass mullions to make the original feature feel new. Connecting the two floors, the team installed a glass railing with antique brass details on the loft level that overlooks the first floor of the suite.

The Chairman Suitechannels the spirit of New England with a contemporary classic nod to the 1920s. The living room boasts a new electric fireplace with Calacatta Oro stone, coffered ceiling, and silver leaf glass panels within the built-in millwork. The dining room features a Calacatta Oro wet bar with specialty resin cabinet doors that feature inset panels of overlapping solid silver oak fern leaves. The suites luxurious finishes include fabric wall panels made of horsehair and wool with leather piping, custom light fixtures, and a standalone soaking tub.

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They're back hungry and in large, sometimes overwhelming numbers.

Not the Brood X cicadas, but patrons at Akron restaurants and bars. Area establishments report they're seeing dining rooms as crowded as they were before the pandemic, with one popular spot downtown reporting its largest crowds in at least three years.

Now, owners say, if they could only get their workers back, times would be great. As it is, many of them are working harder than ever, often at tasks they used to pay others to do.

"We're all doing it on a minimum staff," said Daniel Basone, owner of The Lockview bar and restaurant downtown, as well as El Gato Taqueria next door on South Main Street.

Basone, who is 59, answered the phone cheerfully, even though he said he had just strained his back lifting a keg of beer something he normally wouldn't have to do himself. But for now at least, with customers aplenty and help scarce, he said he has little choice.

Basone's restaurants, especially the Lockview, are normally popular spots for the downtown lunch crowd, but he has had to pick and choose when he'll be open, on a limited basis, with what staff he's been able to muster. El Gato still is closed temporarily, and the Lockview is only open in the evenings, for now, and closed on Sundays and Mondays. Normally, it would be a seven-day-a-week operation, open day and night.

"We're not open in the day yet because we can't find staff. Dude, it's brutal. I need eight cooks, right now," Basone said. "I could hire at least 25 people, right now. I used to run 52 employees for both places when we were in full swing. Right now, I have 16 employees."

Limited staffing and open hours aren't holding the Lockview back too much, though. Basone said his business is at least 40% higher than it was in 2019, before the pandemic, but also when construction on Main Street in front of the restaurant had begun hindering business.

There's no Sunday lunch crowd these days, but that's probably OK. Basone can use the extra time to clean up from the weekends, which he says have recently been his busiest in years.

"On weekends, we're getting back to an hour or an hour-and-a-half wait at the door. People are going out, man," Basone said, noting that he has not seen crowds like that since 2018, before the construction outside began.

Business has gradually been coming back since last summer, when construction began moving past his locations, and has continued ever since, he said.

"Last summer, it was a slow build because the streets were still messed up, so we struggled. But now it's all looking good," Basone said.

He said he's doing well, in part, because other downtown attractions also are drawing people, some of whom come to the Lockview before or after concerts, ballgames and other events.

"A lot of it had to do with the Lock 3 concerts. We just got crushed right out of the gate when that started," Basone said. "And, surprisingly enough, this has been the best year yet for the ballpark crowd."

Restaurants don't have to be downtown to be feeling the crush from the rush of new business, though.

About a half-mile from downtown on West Market Street, Akron Family Restaurant a favorite breakfast haunt of executives, government officials and other movers and shakers in town also has seen its business return to normal.

"Everyone's actually coming back really strong. It's surprising," said Nick Corpus, who owns the restaurant along with his father, Dean, and other family members. "It's like we just turned a switch and the pandemic didn't happen and we're just moving and grooving back to normal life. It's a great feeling."

Akron Family was closed for 90 days early in the pandemic, but it used that time to improve.

"We redid the whole interior. We put all new laminate wood floors down, new tables, new chairs, and it looks great," Dean Corpus said.

It also put out a new sign in front that simply says "AKRON" in large block letters, with colors representing St. Vincent-St. Mary, Walsh and Hoban high schools, as well as purple for LeBron James' current team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dean Corpus said most of the restaurant's business returned as soon as it reopened, but it took some time for the power-breakfast crowd to return, as many of the morning regulars were working from home. They're back in full force now, he said.

Akron Family also could use more staff, but it probably fared better than most restaurants because it's traditionally had low turnover, Dean Corpus reasons.

"I have four cooks that have been with me for more than 30 years. I tease Nick, 'I've known her longer than I've known you,' " Dean joked, noting that his son just recently turned 30.

Further afield and a bit up the chain as far as fine dining goes, Ken Stewart's Grille and Lodge also are both busy, said Terry Kemp, a manager at the Grille.

"We are fortunate that we have a great client base that keeps coming back, so we've ultimately been able to stay busy here at the restaurant," Kemp said. "We do have far less tables than before COVID. That was done partly because of social distancing, but we haven't been able to bring them all back because of staff."

The Ken Stewart restaurants have returned to their pre-pandemic business hours, Kemp said, but so far with only about half the seating they had before COVID. They'll open more seating as they staff up, she said.

Restaurateurs say they're serving patrons as well and as quickly as they can, but some are asking for patience ahead of time during particularly busy times.

"I explain to every customer, 'Your food will be up on time, but we're just really short-staffed,' " Basone said.

Prices may be going up, though, driven by higher wages and the rising cost of food.

Nick Corpus said he thinks most, if not all, restaurants are going to be forced to charge more.

"They're going to have to, to survive," he said. "Product prices have skyrocketed. In order for restaurants to stay in business, even us, they're going to have to raise prices. But we surely don't want to."

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Short-staffed Akron restaurants are booming with business - Crain's Cleveland Business

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) The Illinois Gaming Board has approved the construction of a temporary casino in Rockford.

However before the casino opens owner 815 Entertainment LLC must obtain the Gaming Boards permission to operate and receive approval of the casinos security and surveillance plans.

This is a huge accomplishment for our community, and it will bring hundreds of construction jobs to Rockford, Mayor Tom McNamara said in a written statement and noting it is the first of six new casino locations approved by a 2019 state gambling expansion to begin construction.

A 37,790-square-foot restaurant and banquet hall in Rockford will undergo an estimated $8.8 million renovation. When finished it is expected to feature 736 slot machines and two restaurants.

The temporary casino could operate for two years while the $311 million Hard Rock Casino Rockford is under construction. That project must pass several regulatory hurdles before construction can begin at Interstate 90 and East State Street in Rockford.

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Gaming board ok's construction of temporary Rockford casino - Associated Press

Shut for long stretches because of the pandemic, Mississippi River Distilling Co. in LeClaire, Iowa, has been counting on a summer rebound.

Crowds have come rushing back. But the distillery and events space cant find enough workers to serve its customers. And prices for spirits-making commodities, such as corn and glass, have spiraled. So have costs for lumber and construction, making a long-delayed plan to build a new party and wedding venue about 25% more expensive.

Whats at stake this summer is to try to build enough bank for the off months down the road, said co-owner Ryan Burchett. An outsider might see the patios packed and say, Everything is back. We made it. But we didnt yet.

Referring to the revenue lost to the pandemic, he said: Theres a hole. It cant be filled.

Summer looked like the on-ramp to a big recovery for the leisure and hospitality industry, hard hit by the pandemic and its lockdowns and propped up with billions in government aid. Instead, restaurants, theme parks, hotels and tourist attractions are finding themselves squeezed from multiple sides: rising costs, worker shortages, unpredictable supplies of some foods and, in some cases, demand so overwhelming its difficult to avoid leaving customers dissatisfied.

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Hotels and Restaurants Rebound Summer Held Back by Shortages of Everything - The Wall Street Journal

The Woodlands Mall is fully open after more than 15 months of various COVID-19 restrictions and mall officials have been busy, adding three new restaurants and several new retail stores.

Ted Harris, the senior general manager of The Woodlands Mall, said several new restaurants and retail stores are now open, have seen work begin or are in the process of final stages of construction at the mall.

We are open fully right now. All of our shops are open. There are still a few locations that have their own mask protocols, so just contact the store so you are not surprised, Harris said.

Among the new offerings are salad and veggie specialists Salata Salad Bar; Casper mattress store; a new Mediterranean-focused eatery, Tableyah Mediterranean Cuisine; golf store Travis Mathew; and teen girl and young adult women store, Miss A. A new Bigotes Street Tacos is also on tap.

A couple places that have opened are Casper, the mattress company, that is sitting across from Athleta. We also opened up about a month ago Travis Mathew, that is a mens golfing and athletic wear. Casper primarily used to be an internet mattress company and now theyre coming into the mall, to show (customers) what the mattresses can do, how they perform.

The newest thing is on the ring road, next to Torchys Tacos, is Salata, it recently opened up. And, in our food court, Bigotes Street Tacos should be opening sometime (in July), Harris said. They just started constructions on Tableyah Mediterranean. Two (new eateries) in the food court and one on the ring road.

Harris said the mall is trying to cater to the needs of shoppers, in The Woodlands, and he noted the staff is excited to be back to work and busy after months of pandemic disruptions.

Not only is the (mall) staff in good spirits about getting back to normal, but when I am talking to retailers, with a lot of the restrictions being removed, they are very happy to be moving back to normalcy, Harris added.

On HoustonChronicle.com: The Woodlands Mall adds courtyard, new amenities and stores

Another new store is called Miss A, which Harris described as a clothing, jewelry and make-up store for teen to young adult girls and women, is under construction and may be open in the fall, Harris noted.

The changes are among many that have been underway at the mall since 2019, including in spring 2020 the renovation of the new courtyard near the Barnes and Noble Bookstore that has lawn seating, grass and a large screen with a projector for films.

Also added last year were a new Shake Shack restaurant and multiple new stores inside the malls main shell including a JD Sports, which sells athletic shoes, as well as an Amazon 4-Star store and a new dessert joint, Creamistry.

jeff.forward@chron.com

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New eateries, stores on tap at The Woodlands Mall - Houston Chronicle

About two years ago, Gregorys Coffee decided to venture out of the city to open suburban locations. At that point, the small Manhattan-based chains shops were mostly among office buildings whose caffeine-craving business professionals were the bulk of the customers.

Opening its first Long Island coffee shops this year in Deer Park and Melville was eye opening, Gregorys Coffee founder Greg Zamfotis said.

Not only are sales at the Long Island stores 25% higher than projected but also the Melville shop is the bestselling of the chains 33 shops, due in part to many New York City customers who have not returned to working in their offices because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

"I think, on Long Island, people live and work there. And theres a much more robust residential community," said Zamfotis, who is in lease negotiations to open four more Gregorys Coffee shops on Long Island within the next 18 months.

Long Islands high taxes and rent are barriers to entry for many businesses, but its demographics high-income consumers willing to spend money at restaurants are boding well these days for both coffee shops and casual chicken restaurants, both of which are springing up in high numbers in the area, real estate and restaurant experts said.

"But typically, when retailers come into the market, their sales are very strong. So, theyre able to justify the higher rent and higher taxes," said Russel Helbling, a principal at Sabre Real Estate Advisors in Garden City who is the exclusive broker for Starbucks and PDQ chicken restaurants on Long Island.

Starbucks, Dunkin', Brownstones Coffee, Southdown Coffee, Druthers Coffee, PDQ, Chick-fil-A, Mad for Chicken and Hot Chicken Mama are among the chains that have opened new Long Island locations in the last year and/or plan to open new local spots by the end of 2021 that will number in the dozens.

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"Another chain starting to look in the market is Raising Canes [Chicken Fingers] from Louisiana and Id expect to see Zaxbys enter the market as well," said Steve Gillman, a partner in the White Plains office of an Atlanta-based real estate firm, The Shopping Center Group, who is the exclusive representative for Chick-fil-A on Long Island.

Here is a sampling of new coffee and chicken spots slated for Long Island:

Brownstones Coffee: The restaurant chain has four locations all on Long Island and soon will sign a lease to open a fifth eatery, in Commack, by the end of this year, said Christina Walberg, director of location development for the Amityville-based company. She declined to disclose the address.

Brownstones serves "all-day" breakfast, lunch and specialty coffees from 7:30 a.m. to closing time 3 p.m. Sundays and 3:30 p.m. all other days.

Seeking to put more focus on coffee, Brownstones has signed a lease to open Brownstones Coffee Roasting Co. at 55 Merrick Rd. in Amityville, beside its existing restaurant in the Amity Mall shopping center, in the next four months, Walberg said.

The new store will have an in-house roaster doing small-batch roasting of coffee beans to sell to other restaurants, and it will sell brewed coffee and roasted beans to retail customers, she said.

"We wanted to have more control over the coffee roasting, be able to create a blend that is special to our concept, and also to help other restaurants improve their offering of coffee, too," she said.

Brownstones has outgrown the 2,400-square-foot space its West Islip restaurant occupies, so that location will relocate to a space double the size, at 425 Union Blvd., before Thanksgiving, she said.

Chick-fil-A: The top-selling chicken chain in the country entered the Long Island market in 2015 with an eatery in Port Jefferson Station.

The Atlanta-based chain of more than 2,500 restaurants in North America now has seven Long Island locations, including one that opened in Smithtown in March, and it is planning more local eateries.

A Chick-fil-A under construction at 249-33 Rockaway Blvd., Rosedale, within the town of Hempstead, is expected to open in the first quarter of 2022, Gillman said.

The chicken chain also is awaiting town building approvals for two other planned Long Island eateries at 805 West Montauk Hwy. in West Babylon and 124 East Jericho Turnpike in Huntington, he said.

Gillman said there are other planned Chick-fil-A locations under lease negotiations on Long Island that he could not disclose.

Chick-fil-A did not respond to requests for comment.

PDQ: The fast-casual chicken chain, which has about 60 restaurants, opened its first New York restaurant, in Farmingdale, in July 2019. The Tampa, Florida-based company plans to open another Long Island restaurant, on Old Country Road in Westbury Plaza.

PDQ did not respond to a request for comment.

Starbucks: The worlds largest coffee chain, with nearly 33,000 stores globally, has been expanding aggressively on Long Island, where it has 91 stores. The Seattle-based chain plans at least seven more in the area, according to Helbling or town officials.

Starbucks has three new Long Island stores under construction at an apartment building at 199 2nd St. in Mineola, at 201 Sunrise Hwy. in Bellmore and at 305 West Jericho Tpke. in Huntington, Helbling said. Also, the chain will soon break ground on a free-standing store at 159 W. Main St. in Patchogue, he said.

In addition, town representatives on Long Island said building-related applications are awaiting approvals for three proposed Starbucks stores at 2799 Rte. 112 in Medford (Brookhaven), 1675B Sunrise Hwy. in Bay Shore (Islip) and 90 Montauk Hwy. in Sayville (Islip).

Starbucks did not respond to requests for comment.

Top 5 Coffee Chains by U.S. Sales in 2020

Starbucks $18.5 billion

Dunkin $8.8 billion

Dutch Bros Coffee $584 million

Tim Hortons $511 million

Peets Coffee $269 million

Top 5 Chicken Chains by U.S. Sales in 2020

Chick-fil-A $13.7 billion

KFC $4.7 billion

Popeyes $4.6 billion

Zaxbys $2 billion

Wingstop $1.8 billion

Source: Technomic

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.

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Wings and lattes: Chicken spots and coffee chains booming on LI - Newsday

Business to be located at site of old Crossroads; no timeline set as construction materials are in short supplyIt would appear that Paul and Darlene Hood have enough to keep them busy. As owners of Hoods Service Center, Inc. on I-44 near Bois DArc, they run the Cenex convenience store, a Phillips 66 gas station, a restaurant and a motel. On top of that, they also own two other corporations: Hoods Oil Company, Inc., and Hoods Propane Company. However, the Hoods plan to expand their operation even further by building a new convenience store at the intersection of Highways 39 and 96, at the site of the old Crossroads convenience store outside of Miller.Darlene Hood said they chose to start the new enterprise for several reasons.It fits in with what we do, she said. Weve always thought it was a very good location. Theres a lot of traffic on Highway 96, (and) theres no place to buy fuel between Halltown and Carthage, if youre staying on 96. We (also) have a farm six miles from there, so we know the area very well. We just saw that the need was there, and it was the logical move for us because we (also) own the adjoining property.Hood said their new venture will supply many things travelers on Highway 96 need.(We will sell) gasoline, diesel, and we will also have off-road diesel, she said. It will be a convenience store. Weve had a lot of demand for a restaurant, (but) we do not plan to have a full-service sit-down restaurant, mainly because it is very difficult to staff it, with the one we already have. And we hope it will get better and think it will, but it is very difficult.Additional plans include a deli where fresh sandwiches will be made, and walk-in coolers where customers will be able to serve themselves.Dont expect to see the new convenience store anytime soon, though. Hood said the building wont be completed for quite some time.It wont be soon, she said. Right now, were just preparing the land. Theres leveling that has to be done, and theres a lot of preparation before you can start to build.There are also other factors delaying construction.It would be wonderful if we could (start right away), Hood said, but it just doesnt work that way, and its very difficult right now even to get materials. There will be all new piping, new dispensers; everything will be new. Were not using any of the existing equipment. And right now, a lot of things are backordered. That works against us, too.However, Hood said, many people are happy to know they will bring a new convenience store to the area.Its been unbelievable, the positive feedback weve had, she said. People would love to have a restaurant, but theyre very glad to see a C-store go in where you can buy fuel and the other things you sell. We have been really surprised at the warm feelings that have been expressed towards us. They obviously know about this place and know that we should know what were doing.

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New Hood's convenience store in the works on Highway 96 - Lawrencecountyrecord

The new Vandalia restaurant will employ between 90 and 100 people. We are labor-intensive, Potts said earlier this year. Customers order at a counter, but our employees bring the food to your table. In the drive-through, we will often run food out to the cars.

Mark Myers, the operating partner for the new restaurant, recently completed 12 weeks of training at the home office of Culvers franchising operations in Sauk City, Wisconsin, and will be assisting a new Culvers opening next month in Florida before returning to Ohio to launch the Vandalia restaurant, Potts said.

We look forward to the challenges and rewards of opening this third Dayton-area location, Potts said.

Culvers Dayton-area expansion may not stop with Vandalia. Potts said earlier this year that he has looked at sites in Kettering and near Wright State University for possible expansion and has talked with potential franchise partners to add more Dayton-area locations.

Culvers was founded in 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin by co-founder Craig Culver and his family. All but six Culvers restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees.

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LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWS: Culvers confirms purchase of former Ruby Tuesday, to start construction this spring - Dayton Daily News

Beach and boating season is still far off, but Huntington Town is taking advantage of the quiet time to make improvements at its maritime facilities.

Upgrades are planned at two of the towns three marinas Halesite and Mill Dam and new facilities and updated equipment are proposed at town beaches.

Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said the ideas were generated by Maritime Services director Dom Spada, Senior Harbormaster Fred Uvena, the maritime community and beachgoers.

"This year a lot more people were out at our beaches," Lupinacci said of 2020. "Theyve always been the center of attraction but more importantly now during the pandemic."

Officials last year took delivery of new pump-out and response boats and installed a new playground at Fleets Cove Beach. Construction of new wood docks at Hobart Beach boat ramp has begun and is expected to be completed by the spring.

Construction of transient docks, which provide parking for boats coming into Huntington for the day, are high on the list, Lupinacci said. Town officials said the Harbormasters Office takes calls all summer from boaters asking where they can dock.

"Were looking into the possibility of installing a transient dock at the town dock by Prime [restaurant] and construction of a transient dock behind the Halesite fire department," he said.

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New facilities are also being proposed at a park named for one of Long Islands favorite sons.

"Were installing a pier and floating dock assembly at Billy Joel Park for transient boat dockage," Lupinacci said of the park in Cold Spring Harbor.

The town's engineering department is currently working on design plans. Town officials said costs could be around $275,000, but will have a better idea after the project goes out to bid.

The construction of the floating dock assemblies will be built in-house by town maritime employees at an estimated cost of $80,000.

The boating community wont be the only ones to have something to look forward to.

"Were replacing out-of-date playground equipment at Gold Star Battalion and Centerport beaches and adding apparatus to Crescent Beach," Lupinacci said.

Here is what's on tap for town marinas:

The Town Board recently approved a contract with D&B Engineers and Architects for a new steel bulkhead design and the reconstruction of Halesite Marina Park. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2021 with an estimated cost of $1.5 million to $2 million.

This marina remains closed. The town in 2020 sued the contractors hired in 2011 to design and reconstruct the marina. The towns suit alleges the work done by the contractors was so shoddy that it created dangerous, unsafe and hazardous conditions, and has cost the town money. Town officials are citing breach of contract, negligence and misrepresentation of expertise, failures in calculations and design, among other deficiencies.

Deborah Morris is a native Long Islander and covers the town of Huntington.

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Huntington marinas, beaches to get improvements in off-season - Newsday