LAWRENCE — Break out the turkey dogs. Lawton's Famous Frankfurters hot dog stand might be reopened just in time for Thanksgiving.
Yesterday, construction started on an elaborate engineering project that will stabilize the sidewalk and embankment leading to the North Canal, which the 80-year-old eatery is practically perched over.
"It's about time," said Joanne Curley, owner of the embattled eatery, which has been closed since mid-June.
"It's been a long wait," said Mike Graffeo, who owns the property the hot dog stand sits on.
In mid-June, Joanne Curley and her husband, Scott, were forced to shut down after the earthen embankment started to give way, tearing the septic tank away from the building. Some feared the entire structure could plunge into the adjacent canal.
Months of engineering study, along with some finger-pointing, ensued. Lengthy delays kept pushing the reopening of the takeout joint further and further, until the entire summer and most of the fall were lost.
In the end, AT&T accepted responsibility for fixing the problem, hiring an engineering firm to come up with a solution. It was believed that work by AT&T a year ago to bury a conduit beneath the sidewalk next to Lawton's may have disrupted the site and caused the initial problem.
According to city engineer Andy Wall, the solution includes drilling about a dozen or so holes along the edge of the sidewalk near the guardrail. Steel posts would be inserted 18 to 20 feet deep into the holes, and between each post construction crews will place cement panels that will act as retaining walls.
The retaining walls will hold up the sidewalk, while also keeping pressure off the embankment, which had been pushing against the wall of the canal, forcing it to bulge.
In addition, a pad for the septic tank will be installed, which will be tied to the new retaining wall under the sidewalk. It was the loss of the septic tank that forced the closure since the business is not tied into the sewer system. Finally, the sidewalk will be rebuilt and a new guardrail will be installed.
"It's complicated to set up and do, but it's a simplistic solution," Wall said, adding that "everyone was happy with the plan."
By "everyone" he means numerous stakeholders, including Enel Corp., which owns the canal, National Grid, which owns a utility pole at the site, the city, which owns the sidewalk, and the property and restaurant owners.
Graffeo said he's optimistic about the outcome.
"I know they spent a lot of time and money on engineering," he said. "We are trying to work together here, all of us. It's a tough situation."
Dave Mancuso, a spokesman for AT&T, said work crews are already a little behind schedule, as it was hoped the restaurant would be open by the end of this month.
"We had some delays waiting for materials and equipment," Mancuso said, adding that it's difficult to determine exactly when the work will be completed.
"We have a couple of straight weeks of work," he said. "It depends on what happens, what you discover, the weather, all those variables."
Joanne Curley said even after the work is done, it will take some time to reopen.
She said she'll have to go in and clean the interior, hopefully hire back her old employees, and order product from her vendors. If her former employees have taken new jobs, the opening could be delayed even further as she trains new people.
"I have to start from scratch," she said. "It's like starting all over."
With a Thanksgiving opening, Curley also may have to make some changes to the menu.
"I might have to offer hot turkey sandwiches and stuffing," she said with a laugh, adding that she hopes to hold a grand reopening sometime next month.
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