“We were real happy talking with the Smiths. They know what they are doing. They have done a lot of legwork,” Patrick Titterington, city service and safety director said.
A lease agreement for operating a seasonal canoe, kayak and shallow draft motorcraft business with Chris Jackson of Great Miami Adventures off Ross Road, Tipp City, also was approved.
Final touches are being placed on the renovated Marina Building and the adjacent new Treasure Island Park with features including an amphitheater. Those two projects are part of the multiple-million dollar riverfront development project.
The restaurant is scheduled to open in July, but there are plans to have a food truck at the park to have some visibility by late June.
Mayor Mike Beamish has scheduled a press conference for Thursday to talk about activities planned this summer at the Marina and park located off North Elm Street along the Great Miami River.
The restaurant operators are brothers with Ron Smith, a chef, previously operating a restaurant in Hawaii, Titterington said.. He said a working menu shows a focus on seafood.
The restaurant is expected to open with at least a limited menu in mid to late July but plans to have a food truck at the park to have some visibility, probably by late June, he said.
A city revolving loan committee is scheduled for Thursday to consider loan requests from both businesses, said Jim Dando, city development director.
Titterington said city staff talked with around two dozen possible operators, and were pleased to find someone local to work with.
“These were the ones that were most serious, submitted a business plan,” he said.
Both leases are for multiple years.
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