CARBONDALE - Construction delays have pushed back completion of a hotel in Carbondale, but officials are optimistic about an opening in four weeks.
Mayor Justin Taylor, who is an investor in the project, listed Oct. 15 as a tentative opening date. Construction on the approximately $14 million project has been ongoing since July 2011.
The hotel, a Best Western Inn and Suites Plus, includes 66 rooms. It is one of three structures that make up the Pioneer Plaza. A 170-car parking garage and banquet facility are also moving toward completion.
Mr. Taylor said he anticipates a grand opening about 30 days after the "soft opening" in October.
"I want everything running nice and smooth," he said.
Drywall, painting, work on molding and doors, as well as adding fixtures and floor coverings, are among the items to be completed in the hotel, according to Mr. Taylor.
"They may sound like little things, but there are a lot of them," he said. "Those little things add up pretty quickly."
As the hotel and the plaza near completion, he said the anticipation is building, too.
"As little things get done, the excitement builds with the public," he said. "They start coming forward and asking questions."
There are eight condos and two retail spaces in the plaza available for rent, he added.
A general manager for the hotel has been secured, but other positions within the hotel need to be filled, according to the mayor.
"They are still talking to operators for the restaurant and the caterers for the banquet facility," he said. "They will most likely be doing a job fair at some point."
The Main Street development has caused other business owners to start making improvements in the corridor as well, according to Robert Sakosky, the vice president of Daniel Siniawa and Associates, the development company on the project.
"They're catching the fever," he said of other business owners. "They want their building to look nice and attractive."
He hopes the project will increase downtown traffic through its ability to host events and provide overnight accommodations. Though he initially heard criticism of the project, he said he has heard increasingly positive feedback when he is on the job site.
"Most of the naysayers are becoming proponents," he said. The project is becoming "what they hope it means for the city and what I believe it will mean for the city."
Contact the writer: rbrown@timesshamrock.com, @rbrownTT on Twitter