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(erielack) Ken's Trackside will reopen with a new name, management

http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050904/NEWS01/509040320/1005/ARCHIVES

09/4/05 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom
Dover eatery on new course
Ken's Trackside will reopen with a new name, management
BY MARIA ARMENTAL
DAILY RECORD

DOVER - Following a small face lift, the former Ken's Trackside restaurant
at the town train station is expected to reopen next month under new
management and a new name - Murphy's Third Rail.

The bar-restaurant has been closed since November 2002 as the owner and
town officials battled in court over maintenance and monetary issues.

The restaurant initially will open at night with live bands on Wednesdays
through Saturdays, said the new owner, John MacEvoy of Verona.  He will
operate the business under a limited liability corporation, Dover Station
License LLC.  After that, services will be expanded to offer lunch, and
eventually the bar will open seven days a week, said MacEvoy, who is
hoping to open around Sept. 24.

"We are bringing together a combination of good food, great prices, and
fabulous entertainment,"MacEvoy said.

MacEvoy also owns three restaurants in Essex County: Depot's Square in
Montclair, Verona Inn in Verona and Cleveland's in West Caldwell.  He said
he learned of the Dover establishment when his wife, a commercial
developer, was scouting a commercial property nearby.

At first, he said, he was a bit skeptical about coming to Dover, as it was
a new market, but the area won him over.

"We've got what we feel is a fabulous location ... We have great highway
access, great visibility with commuters," MacEvoy said.  He noted that the
establishment also has approximately 200 parking spaces on site.

Under the terms of the agreement, MacEvoy bought the liquor license from
restaurateur Ken Comer and signed a new 15-year lease with NJ Transit,
which becomes the new landlord of the property.  The lease has an option
of renewal, MacEvoy said.

"The most important part to the Town of Dover is that we are no longer
going to be the landlord," said administrator Paul McDougall.

With the purchase of the liquor license and the renovation work, MacEvoy
said he paid nearly $700,000, some of which will be credited toward his
monthly rent.  The amount of the rent is yet to be determined, he said.

"We've covered every outstanding issue and the building right now is in
A-1 shape,"MacEvoy said on Tuesday while overseeing the work.

"Structurally, everything stays the same," MacEvoy said.  "The historical
integrity of the building is intact.  It was all pretty much cosmetics."

Town officials are expected to approve the liquor license transfer at the
board of aldermen's next meeting on Sept. 13.

MacEvoy has yet to submit the tax sale clearance certificate to finalize
the transaction.

Comer had run the club since 1994 under the name Ken's Trackside,
sub-leasing the space from the town, which in turn leased it from NJ
Transit.

That arrangement ran afoul when Comer started withholding his $2,045
monthly rent and accused town officials of not maintaining the building
properly.

A Superior Court judge ordered town officials in October 2003 to replace
the rain-damaged roof and fix rotting and bulging walls.

To encourage the sale of the establishment, town officials contributed
money toward paying off a lien that Comer owed so he would not lose his
liquor license.

Maria Armental can be reached at (973) 989-0652 or marmental_@_gannett.com.


<This is long overdue.  I think the whole situation was Dover's fault.  I
was at the station a few days ago and was able to peek into the room with
the big painting; it still looks good.  A lot of work remains to be done,
but it was progressing.>

Gary R. Kazin
DL&W Milepost R35.7
Rockaway, New Jersey


	
		
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