Dan Hust | Democrat VILLAGE OF MONTICELLO officials welcomed Bitter End developers last Thursday inside 426 Broadway, where a counterpart of the famed Greenwich Village nightclub is planned to be created. From the left are Village Manager John Barbarite, Project Manager Glenn Gidaly, Mayor Gordon Jenkins, Bitter End owner Paul Colby and developer Tommy Ting.

'Bitter End' owner visits Monticello

By Dan Hust
MONTICELLO — “Every time I hear about this, I get excited,” said Monticello Mayor Gordon Jenkins on Thursday.
He was sitting next to Paul Colby sipping a Goya Mango inside 426 Broadway, discussing the future of a village that may soon play host to the second incarnation of the Bitter End nightclub.
Colby owns the Greenwich Village original, and together with developer Tommy Ting, he wants to open a branch of the famed haunt on Broadway in Monticello.
“I think Monticello is a natural for revitalization,” observed Colby.
“Business is going to come,” agreed Jenkins. “This is going to start it off.”
Village officials are working with Colby/Ting and United Realty Alliance to obtain a Restore New York grant – $2.5 million given to communities in distress but with great potential.
United Realty has got its own plans for high-end retail establishments in a block that includes the Rialto Theatre and Vino, and Village Manager John Barbarite has been working with both groups to have their plans ready to impress state officials later this year.
Last week, Colby trekked to the village with Ting to discuss the project with Jenkins, Barbarite and Senior Project Manager Glenn Gidaly.
“I believe we have a project that’s good for Monticello and the [surrounding] community,” remarked Colby, who has spent most of his life showcasing talent like Bill Cosby, Bette Midler, Kris Kristofferson, Joan Baez, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and Billy Crystal.
That project will include renovations to 426 Broadway to make it a nightclub like the Bitter End downstate, along with a restaurant that Colby promises will be a comfortable, attractive place to dine and watch top acts.
“It will be a good restaurant where people will come to relax and hang out,” he explained.
Plans are to open in 2009, though Ting confirmed he is depending on the Restore New York grant to complete the project.
But with up to three million people living within a 60-mile radius of Monticello, Ting, Colby and village officials see nothing but a bright future.
“A place like this would be an asset to any community,” remarked Barbarite.
“It will be an anchor to downtown revitalization,” added Gidaly. “[Other businesspeople] are waiting to see who’s going to take the first risk.”
Colby and Ting are willing to stand out in front.
“And if this takes off, we’ll expand,” confirmed Colby.
Besides, he said, flashing a smile, “it’s a nice challenge.”