KFC on Way to Monticello

By John Emerson
MONTICELLO — March 14, 2000 -- All the owners of a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise have to do is pick up the permits and pay the fees, and work on their new store can begin anytime, according to Town of Thompson Building Inspector John Drobysh.
Work on the new store had been delayed while federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials reviewed safety and environmental contamination issues at the site of the former Meineke Muffler and Brake Shop along Route 42 in Monticello, where the store will be built.
Drobysh said the EPA’s final approval cleared the way for the town to issue the necessary building and demolition permits.
“There are no open violations for the site, and all they have to do is come in, pay the permit fees and they’re ready to go,” Drobysh said.
The Thompson Planning Board and other regulatory agencies have already issued their approvals for the project.
Although franchise owner Jan Headlee of Headlee Management Corporation could not be reached for comment, Vince Bruno, Director of Operations, said work on the site will begin within the next month. He said construction at the site would not start until the existing building is demolished and the winter weather breaks to allow construction to begin.
“We’re still in winter,” Bruno said. “I think about a month from now, people will see things happening. At this point, everything is full speed ahead, and we’re still hopeful for a July opening for the new store.”
The EPA’s approvals held up the project for several months. Late last year, Bruno had said that the store would take about 16 weeks to build once construction began and hoped for a July 1 opening. If construction on the new building begins by the middle of April, that only leaves about 12 weeks until July 1.
Plans call for the 3,600-square-foot restaurant to have seating for 80 people inside and a picnic area outside the building. The store will have two entrances and exits, one off Lanahan Road, which passes behind the building, and the other off Route 42. Bruno said previously the restaurant, when opened, would likely employ between 25 and 40 people.