Published: September 28, 2008 10:20 pm      

Bar owner orders company off lot

STOYSTOWN — Nearly six months after PennDOT began replacing a bridge on Route 281, the owner of a Quemahoning Township restaurant and bar is outraged that his parking lot has become an equipment depot.

John Heist, who along with his wife, owns Foul Tip Restaurant and Lounge, said business has dropped 50 percent since the bridge replacement started in April.

Now, a frustrated Heist has ordered the contractor to remove equipment from his parking lots, though a PennDOT trailer and concrete forms remain.

“To tell you the truth, it’s been pretty much a nightmare,” sighed Heist, who has owned the establishment for more than 13 years.

The $1.7 million project to replace the small bridge over Beaver Dam Creek is scheduled to be completed in November, a PennDOT district spokeswoman said.

“This is not a PennDOT issue,” said Tara Callahan, a district spokeswoman for the agency. “This is an issue between the contractor and the property owner.”

When the project began, Heist said he was approached by the president of the contracting company, Mingo Creek Construction Co. of Eighty Four, Washington County, about using his property for equipment.

He said he agreed, but suggested they occupy the front yard.

Instead, Heist said the contractor began using part of his parking lot, creating problems for deliveries.

“They just moved in and took over,” he said.

“I’m past the point of compromise.”

A woman who answered the telephone at Mingo Creek Construction said the company would not comment on the situation.

Heist said the problem was especially troublesome during the summer, when two teams in the Roof Garden Softball League used the ballfield behind the bar.

Typically, the players would park in one lot, leaving the other for customers.

But with the construction and equipment, Heist said parking was limited.

“They still have stuff on my property, jammed up in front of the road,” he said. “They know they’re hurting my business being there.”

Quemahoning Township officials are unaware of the dispute, Supervisor Mark Rininger said.