Life in a Small New Hampshire Town Pt. 04

"I suspect this may be impossible to answer, but a timeline to finish?"

"I expect to finish the two jobs at our house in about or slightly less than month. It will take at least that long to close on the building and get permits. Since most of the work will be indoors, weather shouldn't be much of a factor. I'd guesstimate finishing by the end of January at the earliest, and that's with no delays, but we all know there will be delays. With the exception of snow storms, when we have driveways to plow, I should have a crew of five, including myself, six if you want to pitch in Erik.

There are two other matters to consider, one good, one bad. The restaurant should remain open during the construction in the nightclub area, so it will be generating income. Also, there are eight apartments upstairs, four on each floor, also providing steady income.

The bad news is named Roger Russell. He's the local sleazebag. He's trying to pressure Phil and Sherry to sell to him, most likely with the intent to tear down the building and throw up something ugly, and out of place in historic downtown Appleton. Phil thinks he will be very unhappy with us and is likely to plot revenge of some sort."

We seemed to have covered enough for tonight, so Olivia and I prepared to leave.

"Shiloh, Erik, thanks for a great meal. Erik, I'll let you know when we can meet with Phil so you can actually see the space and we can take measurements. I hope this is the start of a great partnership. In the meantime, I think we're heading home now. I have an early morning start tomorrow. Night, all."

Once we got in the car Olivia said,

"That was quite a show you put on tonight. You put an incredible amount work into that today. So, you think this is a good idea?"

"On most levels it is. There're still many unknowns that we have to address, but not tonight."

"Did you catch Shiloh saying her share would come from her settlement?"

"Yep."

"And?"

"If she wants us to know, she'll tell us."

Oct. 20 thru Nov.16.

Derrick

We got the garage and equipment building closed in. Since the house roof was 20 years old, I had the roofers install the standing seam on both the house and the new addition so they would match. Other subcontractors installed the overhead doors, heat in the mudroom, heat pumps in the office, carpentry shop and the walled off repair area of the equipment building.

***

"Olivia, I believe that Chris has moved in with Tom."

"Not a surprise there. I've expected it was inevitable."

"I don't know if this is cause and effect, but Erik seems to have taken up permanent residence with Shiloh."

"That also seemed inevitable, since they are nearly inseparable."

"Erik also acknowledged my guess. He wears a prosthesis due to a war injury. I don't think he wants that to be public knowledge."

"Scores of young men are coming home like that. Unlike many, he doesn't appear to suffer from PTSD."

"Agreed. He attributes that to Dr. Kate. Although we didn't talk about it, I think he's been a good influence on, and support person for, Shiloh."

"Yeah. We don't know her history, but she has definitely changed. I'm so happy for them."

***

We closed on the building. Phil and Sherry agreed to stay around to assist Olivia in working with the various vendors and until we got the new kitchen equipment installed and the line up and running smoothly. We applied to the Appleton zoning board for permits to convert the empty space to a pub and entertainment venue and to add parking in the rear. The hearing was scheduled for Nov. 20.

Tuesday, Nov. 20.

Derrick

Our application was the second agenda item. The first was a routine matter that was quickly approved. Although the board already had our proposal, I explained what we wanted to do, mostly for the benefit of the 35 to 40 members of the public. I emphasized that other than some superficial changes, we would preserve the façade of the building, and thus maintain the character of the historical downtown business center. Further, it would rejuvenate a storefront that had languished unused for several years, and bring back some vitality to the town center. It also would benefit the local economy by creating jobs and increasing the tax base. There was a murmur of approval from the crowd.

Roger Russell stood up to address the board and was recognized by the chair, Arnold Doucette.

"This ought to be interesting."

"Why's that, Olivia?"

"Because, Roger holds a grudge against Arnold, ever since Arnold led the opposition to one of Roger's projects a couple of years ago. Even though the board voted 6 - 1 against it, Roger sees Arnold as his nemesis."

"Yes, Mr. Russell?"

"I object to this project. We don't need a bar on Main St."

"The application conforms to permitted uses for the area."

"That old building can't meet fire code."

I stood up. "I invited the State Fire Marshall responsible for Lake County to look at the building with me. He itemized all the requirements we need to meet. His list and our plans to address them are all included in our application."

Arnold responded, "Thank you, Mr. Powers. Your application was quite thorough. I wish all applications were so complete and detailed. He was looking directly at Roger when he said this.

Laughter spread through the crowd.

"They want to have a drive-thru window for the restaurant. We don't need that."

In the back of the room, Larry Prescott stood up.

"Yes, Mr. Prescott?"

Olivia whispered, "Larry is one of the many people that Roger has screwed over in the past. I think the chickens are coming home to roost."

"I heard that Mr. Russell planned to tear down the building and build a Burger Boy, with a drive-thru."

"Is that true, Mr. Russell?"

Roger didn't reply.

Phil stood up.

"Yes, Mr. Morgan?"

"I can confirm that Mr. Russell was badgering us to sell to him, but I don't know what his intended use was."

"Mr. Prescott?"

"I believe Marty Jacobs at Lake County Demolition Services can confirm that Mr. Russell asked him for an estimate to tear down the building."

A combination of gasps, groans and indecipherable conversations spread through the crowd.

"Would you like to respond, Mr. Russell?"

Instead, Roger stomped out of the meeting. A couple of members of the board asked questions, seeking clarification on three items.

"Any more questions or comments from the public?"

There were none.

"This hearing is adjourned. Mr. Powers, I believe we will be able to issue an opinion by next week."

***

"That hearing seemed to go well, Derrick."

"Yes. I don't think we will have any problem getting approval."

"Arnold and Larry really shut down Roger."

"They did, but I don't think we've heard the last from Mr. Russell."

Tuesday, Nov. 27.

Derrick

Last week was a short one due to Thanksgiving. This week it looks like we will finish the interior of the mudroom, including painting and laying tiles. The approval by the Zoning Board came in today, so I applied for a building permit. I offered my crew to help Susan prepare her place for sale, since they have some down time while we wait for the permit. Assuming it is issued, we can start work on the demolition and reconstruction immediately after we receive it.

***

To be continued.

If you've gotten this far, thanks so much for reading. I sincerely hope you appreciated it for what I intended: A place to relax and escape to for a little while. Please accept it as such.

Please vote and comment. Thanks for reading and especially thanks for voting and commenting.

Guy

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