On Wednesday morning, work continued on the Cowford Chophouse.
By afternoon, work converting the dilapidated historic Downtown building into an upscale restaurant ceased — and it might be a while before construction resumes at the site.
Forking Amazing Restaurants, the group behind the project, has moved on from its initial contractor, Elkins Construction LLC, and is seeking another firm to finish the work that began last May.
In a statement, Forking Amazing co-founder Jacques Klempf acknowledged the change in contractor and said the top priorities for the project have been to preserve the historic integrity of the building and provide Downtown “the iconic, local steakhouse it deserves.”
“We are confident that construction will continue on schedule with minimal interruption, and appreciate the community’s continued support for this endeavor,” he said.
He declined to elaborate on the reasons for the change.
A call to Elkins Construction seeking comment was not returned Wednesday afternoon.
Natalie DeYoung, spokeswoman for Forking Amazing, said more information would be announced when a new firm had signed a contract. She said it likely would take a new firm a few weeks to acclimate and there was no major change in schedule.
The latest update has the restaurant at 101 E. Bay St. being completed in late summer with an opening in the fall.
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