Although Lulu’s promised to open its doors on Oct. 1, several construction issues have pushed the opening date back indefinitely.
Assistant Housing Administrator Kees de Mooy said there has been a delay because owner Dave Wright did not apply for the proper building permits before beginning construction.
“They had to stop work for a while so an architect could do the proper drawings for a permit. Once the work was approved, that’s when we lifted the stop-work order and they were able to start building again,” said de Mooy.
When asked about permitted issues, Wright said, “I don’t want to go into all that. It’s behind us.”
Lulu’s is being constructed where Andy’s used to be. Andy’s was a popular bar and hangout for Washington College students, Chestertown residents and tourists for 21 years before it closed last summer.
Norma Boone, the construction manager for Lulu’s, said Lulu’s hopes to attract the same crowd as Andy’s.
“We hope everybody will feel welcome there,” said Wright.
Both Boone and Wright said renovations to the building were mostly minor and the only thing holding Lulu’s back right now is its sprinkler system.
However, de Mooy said this will be no small task.
“It will require digging into the water supply that runs down High Street. It will probably involve shutting off the water for a short amount of time,” said de Mooy.
De Mooy said there are other problems still going on with construction that could have been avoided had Wright followed protocol.
“Had an architect been involved earlier on, he would have been able to point out fire code and health department issues that came up,” said de Mooy.
Boone said initially there were only minor problems and the delays have been because “once [the building] changed hands, Mr. Wright had to bring everything up to code.”
Reports on when Lulu’s will open vary. Wright put the opening date at about two weeks from now while Bonne said, “it could be three weeks or it could be three months.”
The question still remains: will WC students and faculty actually go to the bar once it’s opened?
When remembering Andy’s, Web Editor Shane Brill, `03, said, “I had gone there as a student and as a staff member. It was a convenient gathering place for meeting up with friends. Everyone liked the relaxed atmosphere. It was fun.”
Brill said he does not know what to expect from Lulu’s and he is interested to see what it will bring to social life on High Street.
“While the music and social flavor of Andy’s continues to resonate with students, faculty, staff, and alumni who feel displaced by its departure, any hangout that embraces the local culture has the chance to grow from the same roots. Until we go inside, we can only guess what inflection Lulu’s will bring to the familiar cadences of Andy’s,” said Brill.
Web Content Provider Justine Hendricks, `07, said, “I wouldn’t mind checking [Lulu’s] out, especially since O’Connor’s is too far to walk.
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