Eatery seeking assistance

ADAMS — Diners again could enjoy calamari and osso buco in the village by the fall.

The owners of Café Mira, 14 Main St., are finalizing plans to purchase the property and refurbish the restaurant. The interior sustained extensive smoke and water damage from an electrical fire April 27.

Owners Lori A. Wells and Lisa A. Reed asked the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency for $37,500 in a microenterprise loan. Using the loan, a mortgage and insurance payments, they will buy the property and replace the kitchen equipment and decor.

"We're ready to roll with work as soon as we have financing," Ms. Reed told the agency's loan review committee Tuesday.

The project will cost $421,000. Insurance is paying $211,000 for repairs and equipment, while the $150,000 property purchase will be covered in part by a mortgage. The business also is pursuing a $50,000 New York Main Street Grant from the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal and a $10,000 facade grant from National Grid, both through the South Jefferson Community Action Corp.

The committee recommended the loan to the full agency board, which will meet Aug. 5.

Ms. Wells and Ms. Reed will purchase the building and surviving fixtures from Scott M. and Leta L. Bodine.

"We owned a lot of stuff that was in there, but they owned some stuff that they left," Ms. Wells said.

The Bodines opened the restaurant in February 2004, and the women took over in January 2008. They leased the business and space from the Bodines and carried all of the insurance.

They said they have seen an outpouring of community support since the fire.

On June 9, a spaghetti and meatball fundraiser brought in more than 400 people and $6,000 in 11/2 hours, they said.

"We just can't stop," Ms. Wells said. "There have been moments when it would've been easier to say it just isn't worth it, but with the community behind us, we can't do that."

Once the bank financing is secured, the renovation project should take four to six weeks.

"We have everything picked out," Ms. Wells said. "We'd like to see it done by the end of September."