Ever since Burger King closed its restaurant at 7589 Oswego St. late last December, residents have been hoping for Tim Hortons Café and Bakeshop to open up there. The Canadian coffee shop chain applied to take over the prime village property, and the village planning board gave Hortons its full approval.
This summer, however, after Hortons took a closer look at village traffic patterns, the café chain simply withdrew its application.
You might think prospective businesses would be pleased to know that more than 35,000 vehicles use Oswego Street every day. The problem is that, because Oswego Street is a four-lane road, too few of those thousands of motorists ever bother to stop at the businesses and bistros.
“The width of the road works against us in working to develop business on Oswego Street,” said planning board Chairman Joe Ostuni, Jr. “We’ve tried to talk to the county about it because Route 57 is a county road. For instance, the overhead signs there only contribute to the high volume traffic flow.” Ostuni is seeking ways to slow down the traffic along the village’s main street.
“Tim Hortons’ decision indicates that they found the traffic environment uninviting,” Ostuni said. He hopes another, more fearless proprietor soon moves in to the former Burger King. “As it is, it’s a real gap in our village business district,” Ostuni observed.
Town vs. terrorism
As noted in last week’s column, at their Sept. 17 meeting Liverpool village trustees declined to renew the village’s decade-long insurance policy covering us in case of terrorist attacks. In so doing, trustees saved $600.
Turns out that the town of Salina — wisely perhaps — continues to carry coverage against terrorism paying some $1,200 annually for the policy, according to town Supervisor Mark Nicotra.
One of the world’s leading global defense firms, Lockheed Martin, has a large plant located in the town between Vine Street and Electronics Parkway less than a mile from the village.
Would terrorists ever target the Lockheed Martin plant here? The Salina plant makes the surveillance radar for the Medium Extended Air Defense System. So what do you think?
Voices from beyond
Former WCNY-TV personality Nancy Roberts tops the cast of nine area actors who portray Liverpool historical figures in “Lakeside Views: The Onondaga Historical Association’s Fall Ghostwalk,” which opened last weekend and continues at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, and 2 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6. Audiences gather at Liverpool First United Methodist Church, at 604 Oswego St.
Roberts is a veteran actress who has starred in regional stage shows ranging from Neil Simon comedies to a mystery about Marilyn Monroe. Here she portrays the prim and proper Martha Gleason, the spinster sister of Lucius Gleason, a prominent 19th century village businessman.
Other notable performances are turned in by Maxwell Anderson as Frank Brown Jr. and young Amanda Hebblethwaite, who lives in Liverpool. Cleverly creating a character full of sass and spunk, Amanda portrays Grace Crawford, a frustrated follower of Father William Miller, an unfulfilled prophet of the Second Coming.
To join the Ghostwalk costs $12, or $10 for OHA members; 428-1864, ext. 312.
Noise at Nichols
Everywhere I go, readers are commenting about squeaky doors squawking across the village. It’s one of those things we all take for granted – let it go in one ear and out the other – until you specifically start listening for it, then the noise burrows into your brain like a hot poker.
The situation’s getting downright spooky at Nichols Supermarket. Last Thursday, the front door was quiet as a mouse, but on Friday it reverted to a caterwauling cat fight.
“Mike, I thought you called in a contractor to fix it,” I whined to owner Mike Hennigan.
The storekeeper shrugged.
“I guess it takes time for the lubricant to work its way in,” he suggested.
Food for thought. Maybe they should try canola oil.
