Ground broken on new gastropub

BY KIRK STARRATT

The Advertiser

NovaNewsNow.com



Ground has been broken and construction will begin soon on The Port Bistro at the Port Williams waterfront. However, the principals are still seeking investors from the community to get involved in the initiative through a Community Economic Development Investment Fund (CEDIF).

Port Bistro president and CEO Bruce McLeod said they currently have 43 investors involved and $940,000 in start-up capital. He said the budget is $1.2 million so there is still opportunity to invest.

The minimum investment is $5,000 and this qualifies investors for a 30 per cent Nova Scotia Equity Tax Credit. The investment is RRSP eligible for further tax savings.

“We’re hoping for another 10 to 15 investors within the next few months, but we’re going ahead,” McLeod said. “We want a wide range of people owning the shares.”

‘Gastropub’ is a British term for a public house or “pub” that specializes in high-quality food, a step above your basic pub grub. The restaurant will emphasize locally supplied food and the concept of “food miles”. For example, they hope to be able to boast that all ingredients in a particular dish came from within 100 kilometres of the gastropub.

The chef will be Michael Howell of the Tempest Restaurant. There will be a microbrewery called Sealevel Brewing. The brew master is Randy Lawrence, who will feature a variety of handcrafted beers, including an organic beer. There will be a meeting room capable of small receptions and private dining and an outdoor deck with a view of the Wolfville waterfront and surrounding dykeland.

McLeod said they were able to procure a $6,000 government grant for a mechanical engineering study to explore the use of a geothermal system to heat and cool the building. Final designs and decisions are pending.

The groundwork for the building is being carried out now. McLeod said they’re waiting for the final building permits and hope to pour the foundation within the next couple of weeks. They plan to have the building weathertight by July and they hope to open late fall.

Other principals involved in the gastropub include David Acton, Allen Sheito, Aurele Maurice, Chris Maltby and Lois Bowden.

A plebiscite was held in the district a couple of years ago and voters decided to go wet. Kings County council approved a development agreement for the property last year. The gastropub will be located on a parcel of land just less than two acres in size at the corner of Kars Street and Terry’s Creek Road. Floodproofing has been taken into consideration.

Sheito said it took two years to finalize the purchase of the land from Maple Leaf and it would be nice to see the site of the old mill next door redeveloped to help renew the area’s tax base.

For more information, contact McLeod at 542-0106 or bmcleod@accesswave.ca. He’s willing to make presentations to small groups of potential investors.