Valerie:

We're starting on the bar. There's a lot involved with dimensions and heights. Again I notice how two bartenders can have a strong opinions about where everything should be behind the bar and what type of beer and wine coolers we should have.

They're doing a good job, really starting to look like a real bar. I have noticed that when I walk into the shop I end up standing behind the bar. Once a bartender always a bartender...

Valerie:

This is a big week for us. We're getting some major construction done and finally the planning board meeting is this thursday. I know that everyone is sick of us moaning about the planning department.

The more I see the bar being constructed, the more of reality it is becoming for me. This really could happen....

Valerie:

We've finally made the agenda for the planning board meeting. After months of waiting, the endless run around, and sleepless nights we're there. In 12 days 7 members of the board will sit down and decide whether we can have a bar. That's all we've wanted, a chance to be heard...

Valerie:

We're getting down to business, it feels good to have things happening. We've got the week lined up with meetings with lawyers and architects. Construction is right on schedule. Still haven't picked the last paint colors, but we'll get there.

Clayton's friend is coming up from Columbia to help out. Makes me feel better because he tends to hurt himself when he does projects himself..

Valerie:

It was a hard week in upstate NY but with good results. My father made it successfully through brain surgery. The got almost all of the tumor and out and determined it was benign. With the exception of some possible temporary damage to his optic nerve he is recovering exceptionally well. Big sigh of relief.

I've been back from NY for two weeks and we've finally had an update from the planning department concerning our conditional use and variance. While isn't wasn't the best of news I'm relieved to just to have any response after 6 weeks of waiting. I can't believe how long it took them to answer our lawyer! Our last attempt on our own ended in a nasty confrontation. The hardest thing in life it waiting for answers, whether it's 6 weeks for an update that could affect your future business or 8 hours in a waiting room for news on your dad.

The update wasn't anything I didn't expect. There's more obstacles and story changing to try to prevent us from the next board meeting. Everything they have told us at the beginning is different from what is now being said. We are given a week to figure out and correct the misinformation in order to make the next board meeting. I've reread the email update over and over again. There must be a catch in there because our lawyer wrote that she felt like she had punched in the stomach when she first read it. I guess we'll find out more tomorrow...

Will it ever end?

Valerie:

Everything has changed for me, I see things through different eyes. I had to rush back to New York state. My father goes into surgery tomorrow to remove a brain tumor. The shock of this has affected me more than the politics of our bar can.

This emergency hasn't changed my reslove to get through all the muck and have the place Clayton and I want. It's only made me realise how petty everything becomes when a family member is facing a serious surgery. I know the stress will become no less real and there is a lot of work that still needs to be done to get to where we want to be. In my heart I know we can make it through all this but right now I'm too scared about tomorrow to focus on the neverending battle with the city. I've got to get through the battle up here in New York first with my family.

Valerie:

Still no word from the planning department...And we have noticed that we're not on the upcoming board meeting. The treatment of us from them is getting old. We continue to claw our way to the finish.

Valerie:

No word from the planning department..

Valerie:

The tension from all the stress dealing with the planning department has finally crept into our relationship. Until now we've been able to work together towards one goal and comfort each other when everything is looking down. Now the stress and lack of sleep has pushed us to two different places mentally.

While we both agree that the situation has been unfair to us and that we have been wronged it's how we want to deal with it that it causing the rift. Clayton wants answers and confrontations, I just want to never have to deal with zoning and planning again. I feel that pointing our finger at the planning department will sign the death sentence to our dream of a bar. He's letting his emotions run the course of lives and it's a big mistake.

How we act in the next three weeks will determine how this thing plays out. I hope we can keep it together and get it done...

Valerie:

The frustration is starting to get overwhelming. Just one we think everything sailing smoothly the planning department likes to throw one our way. We exhausted, not giving up but just plain exhausted.

Yesterday we had our review meeting for our parking variance application. We've hired a lawyer who has gone over all the paperwork and asked countless times if everything is in order. We were assured that everything was. At the meeting they announced that we would be needing an additional building coverage variance. What?!? All of over information has been in for over 3 months and they just figured this out. Their timing was impeccable because had they told us before the meeting we may have had time to collect all of our data and be on schedule. We were incredibly forgiving when they overlooked the fact we needed a parking variance and set us back a month. Now they do it again and set us back another month. Something is not right here...

They'll get away with it. There will be no accountablity from them. In the end it'll cost us a lot of money, time, and sleep. We'll get through it and I look forward to the day when we never have to deal with them again.

And what the hell is a building coverage variance and why do we need one!?

Valerie:

I think we have finally decided on some colors. It just goes to show that two strong minded people with different opinions can learn to compromise. The light green color will be on the main walls with a back bright red accent wall. On the top of the wall will go the deep orange color. There is a shelf that divides the wall, considering the blue for that.

It makes me wonder about the color names they come up with. We have chosen Mojito, Tibetan Orange, High Drama, and Voyage. I'm okay with Tibet and voyages but my plan was to keep high drama and mojitos out of the bar. There was another light green grey color we had debated on putting on the main walls but I refused to have something named tea bag on my walls. We're not that sort of a place..

Valerie:

We've started construction. Kind of exciting. I've always been one of those people who loves to go to casinos to feel that rush. That's what we've done now. We're putting all of our money on red.

Valerie:

We're starting to put aside the political and city red tape and concentrate on other matters of the bar. Color is our focus these days. It's been an ongoing debate for two strong minded individuals. It turns out that Clayton and I have two completely different opinions on what colors to paint the bar. We both agree on a mediterran feeling in the bar and keep it warm. Easier said than done.

We have decided on our exterior colors. There is such limitations on what colors can go on the exterior because of Harc it made it easier on us. The creamy yellow is on the main part with the red painted on the doors with white trim. I further want to use furniture and plants to pop some bright colors against the more subtle outside.

The interior I want bright and pleasing, I want people to walk in and and feel cheered without being fully aware of the color that is one the wall. What colors that translates to I'm not sure. I am sure of that neither Clayton and I are interior designers. It could get interesting.

Valerie:

Even this blog has been giving me trouble, won't let me sign in. Like this whole bar situation I think I have finally figured it all out.

Just because I haven't been writing doesn't mean that everything has been going smooth. Just the opposite, the roller coaster ride has had more turns and hills.

After having our application in 2 months several things were discovered in our application. One is that we need a parking variance. That means another $1000 and another month setback. More money and waiting, patience and money being two things we seem to be losing. The other was a municipal code stating that in our zone a bar can not be because of excessive noise. We now have to prove that a low key wine bar will not producing any more noise than a retail shop. Not that you would be able to hear it over the tacky music coming from the sidewalk bar 3 doors down or the rowdy gay bar across the street.

Throw in a unfair negative neighbor complaint on top of these new developments and we found ourselves in a not too good position. Things were not going our way and it was not looking too hopeful for us. Very dim indeed.

So we got a lawyer. After one consultation everything has been put into perspective. This is just one small step into making the bar a reality. We will get there.