A space left empty for eight years after TGI Fridays closed in Boardman is being revived. Twin Peaks, a sports bar and restaurant, is coming to Tiffany Boulevard.
Gulu Electrical Contractors, of Youngstown, has been working on the project since the end of August. Steve Weimer is the foreman for Gulu. He says the job required starting from square one.
“Everything was gutted and had to be torn out of the previous building,” Weimer said.
He added that even the concrete was ripped up to run underground wiring into the new space. A lot of progress has been made since the start of the renovation. The biggest challenge is trying to stay on pace with other contractors.
“We’re always coordinating about what’s happening in a particular area. I always ask before I start anything,” he said.
Speed is a factor
The momentum has been steady, and he’s also working with an apprentice. Weimer says a job like this is fast-paced learning.
“We have to keep moving, so I’m showing the apprentice what to do while I move on to other things in order to stay ahead,” he said.
Twin Peaks is Weimer’s first experience with a job of this magnitude. In his 10 years as an electrician, he’s worked on two, three and four-story buildings, along with a smaller restaurant. He says those jobs don’t compare to something like this.
“It’s definitely one that needs an experienced, well-trained electrical contractor.”
Wired for entertainment
Along with the sports bar atmosphere, the restaurant has a mountain lodge feel. It’s also known for its Twin Peaks girls and customer service.
People will see TVs from every angle in the main dining area which also houses a large bar with more seating. At the front of the building, there are three garage doors that will open to an outdoor patio during the warmer months.
“There will be TVs on the wall outside, plenty of lighting and heaters, too,” Weimer said.
Electrical panels and controls are at the back of the building behind the kitchen. That’s where the main service and ground wiring comes in and branches off to other parts of the restaurant.
“The ground wiring spiders out and hits all the kitchen walls first. Then, everything runs out from there,” Weimer said.
He also mentioned the power for the beer cooler will go through the ceiling to the keg pumping lines.
Dodging delays
The initial goal was to have the restaurant ready by Thanksgiving, but supply chain constraints may push back the timeline.
Ken DiRocco, project manager for Gulu, says not being able to get materials is causing some delays with the project.
“We are having a lot of issues with some of the main gear. We just can’t get it. The suppliers and the companies that make it are still backed up,” DiRocco said.
All the lighting and fixtures still need to be installed inside the restaurant. The façade of the building will be finished in the coming weeks – along with the outside lights.
Gulu Electrical Contractors is a member of NECA-IBEW Electricians, an association of IBEW Local 64 in Youngstown, IBEW Local 573 in Warren and signatory electrical contractors throughout the Mahoning Valley.