Small businesses have been the foundation on which this city was built ever since early settlers set up trading posts and inns more than two centuries ago at a ford in the Mohawk River named Fort Schuyler. The same entrepreneurship can help rebuild and sustain the city today. That was demonstrated recently by two local business owners who plan to reinvest in the city pending approval of the Common Council next week. -- Bob Donnelly, owner of City Gym at 1323 Oneida St., wants to relocate that operation to a vacant building at 1301 Oneida St., a move that would more than triple his space from 6,000 to 20,000 square feet, adding a tanning salon, vitamin shop and juice bar. -- Russ Pelli, owner of Northeast Roofing and Asbestos, plans to purchase a deteriorating garage at the corner of Albany and Rutger streets to expand his roofing company. Both men already are heavily invested in Utica. Donnelly’s gym expansion will add to the rebirth of the Oneida Square area, which has seen a resurgence of activity since the roundabout project was completed in 2011. That project not only rid the area of a tangle of traffic signals, but streetscape and infrastructure improvements there have made that area much more attractive and business-friendly. Donnelly said he wants his operation to become an anchor for the area. Pelli, meanwhile, says he decided to expand in the East Utica neighborhood where he grew up because he drove by the dilapidated garage every day and watched it deteriorate. He’ll give it new life. In both instances, that’s the kind of attitude that can — and will — rebuild the city. Read more: uticaod/m/news/x1383329109/OUR-VIEW-Attitude-can-rebuild-city#ixzz2bQACjrZT
Posted on: Fri, 09 Aug 2013 03:32:59 +0000
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