Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

It's official: The owner of Kabob Kafe in Ellicottville is buying The Option House. Bradford City Council approved a $50,000 loan on Tuesday that completes the funding package he needed to buy the Main Street building from Sam Sylvester. Other money is coming from the McKean County Redevelopment Office and The North Central Regional Planning and Development Commission. Owner Sheikh Iqbal is also investing $40,000 of his own money. Debbie Huston of the Office of Economic and Community Development says the outstanding job Sylvester did in renovating the building is what attracted him to The Option House. In a news release, Huston added that Sylvester is pleased that Iqbal has decided to bring his highly popular restaurant to Bradford's Main Street as "he is a widely experienced restaurateur and caterer." She adds that over the past few months Sylvester and "Icky" -- as Iqbal likes to be called -- have developed a close personal and business relationship. Sh...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director In what Mayor Tom Riel called a rare occurrence, Bradford City Council was presented with a resolution for a change order to reduce the cost of a construction project. OECD Executive Director Sara Andrews explained during Tuesday’s council meeting that they knew going into the Pine Street Pedestrian Bridge project that they could reduce costs and, with the help of contractor Bob Cummins, they were able to lower it by more than $17,000. One of the biggest ways they reduced cost was getting boulders from the Bradford City Water Authority instead of going to Marienville to buy them and transport them. The water authority said the city could have boulders on their property, and would just have to pay the cost to transport them. That saved about $10,000, she said. Cummins also suggested building the entrance steps on-site instead of having pre-fabricated steps brought in. They also scrapped the plan to have lights on the railings. “We felt that was ...

CARE for Children reached another milestone in the construction of the Ashley Booth Griffin CARE for Children Center Monday, as the organization held the groundbreaking ceremony for the facility. The Center, which will be close to 10,000 square feet, will meet the existing needs of CARE, but will also allow for continued growth, ensuring the organization will be the premier provider of services for children in McKean County. After committing a $1 million lead gift, Mr. George Duke, Owner and Chairman of Zippo Manufacturing Company, determined that the project be named for Ashley Booth Griffin, daughter of Zippo President and CEO Greg Booth and his wife, Cherie, who passed away in 2008. “It was like divine inspiration,” said Mr. Duke of the idea to honor Ashley and her family. “This building will add credibility to the works of CARE, bring focus to the organization, and help it remain self-sustaining over the long-term.” “We have prayed ever since Ashley’s passing that our daughter’s d...

Ground broken for Ashley Booth Griffin CARE for Children Center Zippo owner and president of the board George Duke talks about why he decided to donate $1 million to CARE for Children for their new building, and how he decided it should be named the Ashley Booth Griffin CARE for Children Center. Zippo president and CEO Greg Booth talks about his daughter Ashley, who died in a car accident nearly four years ago, and shows off an artists' rendering of the new buildng. He gives his granddaughter Jaden Griffin some tips on groundbreaking while CARE's Mandi Wilton Davis helps Tayga Griffin with her hard hat. Pictured after the groundbreaking, CARE board president Mick Marshall, CARE executive director Tina Martin, George Duke, Ashley's husband Aaron Griffin, Tayga Griffin, Jaden Griffin, Cherie Booth, Greg Booth. Bob Cummins Construction will be building the new center and expects to have it finished in about a year. You can listen to the groundbreaking ceremony here . WESB phot...

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By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director The so-called traffic calming area at the intersection of East Washington and Mechanic streets will soon be a thing of the past. Bradford City Council on Tuesday awarded the contract for the removal of the area to Bob Cummins Construction. Cummins submitted the only bid, which was $15,120. Also Tuesday council approved certificates of appropriateness to several downtown property owners. Dr. Andrew Young will have a sign installed at 119 Main Street that reads “Bradford Chiropractic Center.” The property is owned by Tut Holdings LLC. Don Britton, owner of 15 Barbour Street, will have new windows installed on the third floor. They will be resized and trimmed in tan. Brown vinyl cedar siding will be installed around openings. Jeff and Rainey Coles, owners of 80 Boylston Street, will have 14 windows and all doors replaced. They will all remain the same size. Cedar shake siding on the building will also be repaired. Pinciaro Inc. will replace and res...

Bradford City Council on Tuesday enthusiastically agreed to allow the demolition of 31-37 Mechanic Street. By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director One more blighted property in Bradford is coming down, and city leaders are working on ways to get rid of even more. During a public hearing on 2010 Community Development Block Grant proposed activities, Office of Community and Economic Development Executive Director Sara Andrews said she and Mayor Tom Riel had talked about trying to address a larger number of properties instead of the three to five they demolish annually with CDBG money. She said they are considering borrowing money for demolition, then paying the loan back with CDBG money. Andrews said she spoke with her grant manager in Harrisburg, who said that's possible but the city would have to pay the interest on the loan. However, she said the interest rate for municipalities is "probably pretty good right now." Councilman Jim Evans asked if the city could save money...