Letter to the Editor: Obstacles in Opening Downtown Business

I'm a new owner trying to open in downtown and am getting nothing but obstacles.

We are opening the Atrium (new name is The Loft).

We had to jump through hoops and call meeting with city employees and nothing. We signed the lease on Halloween, minimal remodel. We were postponed by city missing out on numerous Christmas parties, New Years Eve, three blast Fridays. Not to mention trying to bring new life to downtown.

Even after we fix what we are asked to they find more things. When we ask what we need 100 percent to open they say your engineer can answer that and I quote "it's not our job to tell you how to do it but to tell you when it's wrong."

We are about $70,000 into it and don't know what to do.

We have a meeting on Monday at 4 p.m. with city manager, council men and other city people. We have been approved by the food board already, we just want to open.

Thank you, 

Angelo Proestopoulos