Hotels part of major development projects

Hotel Hill is getting some competition from hotels being proposed for the Yuma area in other locations.
 
Whitman Properties is pursuing plans to develop approximately 18 acres at the northeast corner of Avenue 3E and Interstate 8. The city Planning and Zoning Commission recently approved a request for a general plan amendment to allow resort, recreation and open space.
 
According to the application, a hotel, restaurant and boat sales and storage business are being considered for the property.
 
Neighbors on the west side of Avenue 3E include the recently opened Holiday Inn Express and Candlewood Suites and the Arby's restaurant under construction.

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At least one hotel also is being considered for Rio Vista Commerce Center subdivision.
 
That's the project going in where all that earth-moving is going on north of Las Palmillas along Castle Dome Avenue and 8th Street. The developer, WCC Properties, also is the developer of Las Palmillas.
 
Rio Vista is slated for 10 lots on 70 acres. It's where the Allstate Express Claims Center is nearing completion. WCC officials have said other potential tenants include a gas station, a hotel or two, restaurants and a big-box retailer, but no names have been named.

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The April issue of Yuma Business Direct is now available online at businessinyuma.com. The cover story features Jim Pilkington, president of Pilkington Construction, who tells how he got into the contracting business while still in high school and puts a little of his soul into each project he's built.
 
Incidentally, in the article, Pilkington announced that he is turning the business over to his brother, Leo, whose company will be a new entity called Pilkington Commercial Co. Inc.
 
The Yuma County Chamber of Commerce Member of the Month honor went to MGM Internet Solutions and owner Matt Molenar.
 
Paul White, golf director at Las Barrancas Golf Course in the Foothills, answers 20 questions in the ongoing series about leaders in the local hospitality industry.

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The former Yuma Jaycees clubhouse at Arizona Avenue and 18th Street is about to enter a new chapter.
 
The property has been purchased by Faith Baptist Church, which now is meeting in a tent at 699 S. Avenue B, said Realtor Kathy Kehl of ERA Matt Fischer Realtor, who handled the transaction. She said the church plans to make extensive renovations to the building to convert it into its new home.

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On another note, Kehl once again has the listing for Anthony's Uptown Deli at 2100 S. 4th Ave. "It would make a turn-key restaurant," she said.
 
The sale includes a 6,540-square-foot building with $600,000 in improvements on a 19,000-square-foot lot as well as the furnishings and the deli's beer and wine license for both take out and on-premises consumption.
 
If interested, call Kehl at 344-2550 or 210-4640.

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Bubba's Barbecue, 2497 S. 4th Ave., has been sold. New owner Mike Patsiourias had a restaurant, Copper Kettle, for 20 years in Lakeside, Calif. He's buying the business and the name and will keep the same recipes and staff, said Realtor Mike Mendenhall of Commercial Brokers.
 
Except, there's a good chance Patsiourias will be adding a couple of Greek dishes to the menu once he gets settled in.
 
Former Bubba's owners John and Margie Mitchell wish to thank their many customers for their support over the last 15 years and ask them to support the new owner.
 
With the sale of Bubba's, Mitchell said he's up to his knees and elbows working to get his new restaurant, John and Margie's Ranch House,  4340 E. Highway 80 (32nd Street), ready to open. The work includes adding on a new kitchen, redoing the septic tank, making a new rear parking lot and some sprucing up of the interior.
 
A number of callers have wondered when the new restaurant will open. Mitchell is as anxious as anyone and is hoping for August.

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Penn Neon Sign Co., 707 W. 8th St., is on the grow. The company has purchased the property to the west at 709 W. 8th St. with plans to demolish the two buildings there to expand.
 
Owner Perry Pensky said the plan is to build a 4,000-square-foot addition to the current 5,000-square-foot building for new offices and to expand the sign company's production area. That will provide room for new equipment the company has purchased as well as give it some needed elbow room after 60 years in business at that location.
 
Plans also call for expanding the parking lot, putting a block wall around the property and landscaping.
 
The demolition likely will take place by May, with construction to start a few months later and be completed by this time next year.

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Dr. Ashvin K. Shah had quite a grand opening for the new home of his pulmonary and sleep medicine practice at 2110 W. 24th St. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, he hosted an open house and reception for guests with food and music.
 
He related how he used to have to send patients to Phoenix for testing for sleep disorders.  In 1993, he started a sleep center at Yuma Regional Medical Center and in 1999 opened his own center. Since then, he said, the practice has grown tremendously as people have become more aware of sleep disorders.
 
Shah's Sleep Center of Yuma is one of only seven accredited in Arizona by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The office can be reached at 344-1891.
 
Sharing space in his new building is Dr. John A. Anderson, who specializes in adult and pediatric asthma and allergies. His practice, Allergy and Asthma Care of Arizona, can be reached at 344-2300.

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Financial adviser Adrienne J. Egbers has opened her own Edward Jones office in Yuma at 11361 S. Foothills Blvd., Suite 4, and can be reached at 342-9564.
 
Egbers had been working with financial adviser Jay Laughlin for the past couple of years to serve investors throughout the Foothills area.
 
She is from Washington and received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Western Washington University. She moved to Yuma because of the opportunity to open her own office here.

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One locally owned and operated eatery not only attracts lines of locals, it's also being recognized as a favorite place to grab a bite to eat around the state.
 
Lutes Casino, 221 S. Main St., is featured in the April issue of Arizona Highways as one of the 25 best restaurants in the state. The article mentions the especial: a cheeseburger topped with a hot dog.
 
Family member Billy Lutes speculates the real draw of the longtime restaurant is his piano playing during the lunch hour - "or maybe it's because the whole family works there during the lunch hour."
 
Then there's the decor - a virtual museum of odds and ends collected over the years.

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Starting today, Habitat for Humanity's ReStore, 2404 E. 24th St. (west side of the building), will be open Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to better serve the community. Regular hours continue to be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
 
The store carries gently used and new items for the "do-it-yourselfers" to repair and furnish their home at prices well below retail. That includes furniture, major electronics, appliances and building supplies such as flooring and cabinets.
 
The store also is in need of donated items. Drop them by the store or call 783-3993 for free pickup Wednesdays through Saturdays.
 
Proceeds from the store help fund Habitat's home construction ministry.

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Joseph Bevington of Go to Guy Travel and James English of English Electric have recently joined Business Network International Yuma Premier Chapter.
 
The group meets at 7 a.m. every Tuesday at the Ramada Inn-Chilton Conference Center, 300 E. 32nd St., and is looking to expand its member base. For more information, visit www.bniyuma.com.

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Bison Express Shuttle is now picking up Wellton-area passengers at the new Chevron station at Coyote Wash, said shuttle owner Bob Larsen. The service can be reached at 345-4615.

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Since Dorrie Papp sold her tanning salon, she has been named manager of Gold Canyon Candle.
 
Gold Canyon Candle, which has been in business since 1997, offers home parties to show its products. The company also will do fundraisers for organizations, offering a great way for the organization to make a 38-40 percent profit. The remainder of the money goes to the Prayer Child Foundation to help needy children.
 
For more information about a home show or doing a fundraiser, call Dorrie at 581-6325 or visit www.mygccandle.com/dorrie.


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