Worcester Business Journal

20 Worcester Business Journal • April 27, 2015 www.wbjournal.com Lower overhead makes business better. We'll help you with energy saving upgrades for your business. With lower energy costs your business will be even stronger than ever. Find ways to save at ngrid.com/save NG-CEE-614 // Worcester Business Journal // NG_LowerOverhead // 1/2 page // Trim Area: 9" x 6" Bleed: none // 4C // 300 dpi than expected, even without advertising. It helps that the place has a decades-old reputation. "Every day there's one or two people that come in and tell us how they used to come here," he said. State of 'Wonder' on Shrewsbury St. In a business as notoriously competitive as restaurants, having a well-established brand even before you open the doors is a valuable asset. Like Colangelo and Novick, the new owners of Wonder Bar bought a name as well as a building with their new venture. Frank Prizio III, part of the Prizio family that runs the Regatta Deli in Worcester and Westborough, paid $250,000 for the Shrewsbury Street spot, which has been closed for the past year. The Prizios posted a Facebook message in February announcing plans for Wonder Bar's reopening and promising that they'll be making the same pizza the restaurant was famous for. Members of the family said they're not ready to talk publicly about their plans yet, but Gary Vecchio, head of the Shrewsbury Street Neighborhood Association, said they shouldn't have any trouble attracting customers once they open their doors. "In all honesty, the one question I've gotten on a pretty regular basis over the last couple of months is 'When is the Wonder Bar reopening?'" he said. "People are really anticipating it." Donna Warshaw, executive director of the East Side Improvement Association, said the promise of bringing Wonder Bar pizza back to the city is huge, and she doesn't no doubt there will be lots of customers eager to try it. "It'll sort of be their battle to lose," she said. "If it is exactly the same pizza, then they've hit a home run." If a venerable business name is valuable to a new owner, a venerable building can be a liability. Vecchio said the work being done to get Wonder Bar into good condition is extensive. "They had to put all new windows in front," he said earlier this month. "They had to build an entire kitchen. A week ago there was heavy equipment out there digging the sidewalk… A lot of (times), renovations are a lot more difficult to do than building new." Colangelo said fixing up the Edgemere Diner was also a major project, costing more than he and Novick paid for the building itself. They had to rip out the kitchen floor and put in a new one, redo the bathrooms, replace decaying siding and do a lot of basic cleaning. The investment is paying off for now, Colangelo said. He and Novick, along with family members who come in to help out on weekends, have their hands full taking care of customers. And he says there's a simple formula for transforming the former customers who come in to take a look at the new setup into regulars. "Serve good food at a good price, and people will come back," he said. "It's working." Q Blasts from past open doors again >> Continued from Page 19 ous locations across the state. "The fact is, all facilities are near something," Delli Priscoli said. He noted that his office is just 25 yards from the fuel tanks at the North Grafton transloading center. To ensure it's safe, Delli Priscoli said he hired an expert with the National Fire Protection Association who authored safety regu- lations for liquefied petroleum storage and use, and believes the facility meets or exceeds national safety standards. In addition, the tanks must be reviewed by the fire marshal's office before they can be used, to ensure that operations com- ply with state regulations. Town administrator not satisfied But Town Administrator Timothy McInerney isn't satisfied. He said he believes the Grafton and Upton Railroad is taking advantage of its federal pre- emption rights over local zoning laws. The North Grafton facility is located in a residential area that isn't zoned for that type of use, McInerney said. And in addition to residents' safety, McInerney said he's worried about potential groundwater contamination since the facility is located within the town's water supply protection overlay district. Local zoning laws prohibit storage of any haz- ardous materials in quantities that exceed typical household use in that area of town. The railroad, however, has hired a hydrologist who contends the facility is not within the town's aquifer and doesn't pose a threat. While Delli Priscoli contends that Grafton and Upton has been transpar- ent in presenting the project to town officials, McInerney disagreed. He said he wants the Surface Transportation Board to require the company to per- form more due diligence on the poten- tial safety and environmental impacts of the project. Meanwhile, the railroad faces anoth- er challenge from a small group of Upton residents who have taken issue with the railroad's wood pellet delivery operations in town. A few weeks after the North Grafton decision in the fall, the Surface Transportation Board ruled in the railroad's favor in the Upton case, denying residents' claim that Grafton and Upton is conducting manufactur- ing activities at the site by packaging wood pellets for shipping. The residents appealed that decision in the First Circuit court as well, and want to link it to the Grafton case. The railroad contends the two matters are unrelated. Asked about Grafton's chances of suc- ceeding in its appeal, McInerney said it's anyone's guess. "I think we put together a good case; we have good arguments," he said. Q Rail line meets resistance over Grafton propane facility >> Continued from Page 9

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