Hopefully there’s mild weather ahead
By Erik Pekar, Town Historian
February was a wild month, not so much with its weather but in terms of temperatures. The month started out much the way it ended, with temperatures below freezing. Near the start and end of the month there were snowstorms. Several times during the month, temperatures reached more than 50 and these periods either came after or were followed by cold snaps in the single digits. This was especially problematic, as swinging temperatures lead to water pipes freezing and bursting, as well as creating major frost heaves on roads.
March has started out more mild, with temps in the 30s and 40s. Last weekend, the temperature reached up to the low 60s. Hopefully, the mildness continues.
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Granville recently gained its first new business of 2022, with the opening of Tommy’s Place on Feb. 24, located at 38 Main Street in the village.
This new restaurant, owned by Tommy Festa, has an Italian theme. The menu includes pizza, calzones, wings (both bone-in and boneless) and other fare. Everything is made fresh on the spot each day.
The announcement for Tommy’s Place occurred last fall. The new signs for the business appeared at the end of January. The building has been remodeled and refreshed. The 38 Main building was last occupied by the former Granville House of Pizza, which closed in late December 2003. The old signs of the earlier business have been hung inside the dining area.
Festa has had a desire to open a restaurant for years. “I’ve always wanted a place just like this,” said Festa. “Growing up in my family’s business had a lot to do with that want. My mom and dad had a supermarket when I was younger, and something about the food industry always stuck out for me. The kitchen has always been a huge passion of mine.”
Tommy’s Place has already taken off with success and praise. Regarding the first week, Festa said, “Opening day was incredible. The amount of customers that showed up was just unbelievable. Same goes for opening week. To be honest, it hasn’t slowed down yet. Daily, we’re seeing tons of guests. We feel very blessed for the response this community and surrounding areas has had with our opening.”
Tommy’s Place is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday, and Monday. At present, pizza will be served only on Thursday through Saturday. Congratulations to Tommy’s Place on its successful opening and may more success continue for you in Granville in the years ahead.
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Now that the new Church Street bridge is open, the utilities that had to clear the right-of-way last year can move their lines back to being next to the bridge. Two new poles were placed next to the bridge on the west side on Feb. 2. Spectrum moved its utility line to the new poles on Feb. 7. NYSEG followed on Feb. 14, restoring the alternate power line connection that existed prior to the bridge project. This leaves First Light and Verizon to move their utilities to the newly installed poles. Upon completion of the right-of-way restoration, the temporary poles will likely be removed.
This spring, the J. H. Maloy company will return to Granville to finish up the bridge replacement project. The final work includes grass seeding, the replacement of the temporary sidewalk with poured concrete, and paving the final wear course layer of pavement on the road over the bridge.
With the last of the old buildings on the south side of Water Street removed, it is time for the street to be improved. There are no longer any buildings obstructing the right of way of a full width street, and the railroad overpass no longer exists that necessitated the narrowing of Water Street at the present day at-grade rail trail crossing. A few utility poles and lines would have to be moved to make way for such a change, but it would greatly improve the appearance of this area.
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Another Main Street building has become available for those who may consider opening a business on Granville’s Main Street. A “for sale” sign appeared in the window of the Morse building at 20 Main St. on Jan. 31 and is still there in early March. The building is available for $149,000. Practically all of the first-floor equipment of earlier building occupants has been removed, including the walk-in cooler. This building is spacious and could be used for many purposes.
Already available for sale is the 23 Main St. building, at $110,000. Both buildings are practically “clean slate” and could be used for any new business. Two store spaces are available for renting, at 13 East Main St. and 1 West Main St. New businesses would be eagerly welcomed to Granville and its Main Street.
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Daylight Savings Time starts at 2 a.m. on March 13. Remember to change the time on the clock an hour forward to “spring ahead.”
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