Kevin Kamenetz
Charles Village Pub Groundbreaking
July 8, 2011
Folks, it is a pleasure to be here today with all of you today to celebrate a great day for Towson.
January 29 was a cold night. It was the dead of winter and we were still buried under the only real snowfall of the season. People from every walk of life in Towson - college students, professionals, families, lawyers, and businessmen - had only one thought on their minds: find a place to get warm. For many of them, there was only one destination in mind: the Charles Village Pub (CVP). Unfortunately for them, that night, the Pub took the idea of getting warm a bit too literally.
By the end of that night, courtesy of a fire that admittedly, did warm things up, the CVP was gone. The bar, the Towson jerseys, the trivia wheel, the patio, the second floor that everyone forgot was there, all of it gone. But like a college student the morning after a night at the CVP, this bar is now rising from the ashes. But unlike that college student, this bar is going to look a lot better than it did the night before.
The Charles Village Pub has great owners in Rick Bielski, and Eric and Melanie Wagner. Before the ashes were even cooled and their beer taps had a chance to thaw, they promised to rebuild, and six months later, we’re already breaking ground on a new CVP. With a targeted reopening date of January 1, 2012, the new building will be better than ever, with a rooftop deck and an expanded capacity that may very well lead to an increase in their workforce from 38 employees to between 50 and 60. So next winter, there will be no need to head to Indianapolis to watch the Ravens win the Super Bowl, not when there is a brand new CVP right here on Pennsylvania Avenue.
I want to thank all the owners for their commitment to Towson, but I also want to thank them for their commitment to their employees. It’s not easy to find a job out there right now, but in the aftermath of the fire, Rick was able to assist his employees in finding work at his other restaurant or at establishments owned by friends and colleagues. It is a testament to the ownership at CVP that most of their employees intend to return as soon they reopen their doors here in Towson. Folks, these are the kind of people that make this community such a special to live and work. This is an exciting time to be in Downtown Towson. We’ve got a new Urban Outfitters, there is progress being made at Towson City Center, we’re building new homes in the heart of this community at Towson Green, and things are moving forward at Towson Commons. CVP is now a part of the progress that is taking place here and I know that Rick, Melanie, and Eric are thrilled to be contributing to that.
Thanks also go to Lynn Lanham and Jenifer Nugent in the Department of Planning for working to expedite the design review process and for getting this project moving so quickly and so effectively.
Now, I am pleased to introduce someone who I know is excited to see the return of this restaurant, both as a patron and as the Executive Director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce, Nancy Hafford.
