Published in the August 9, 2018 edition

By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — While not quite ready to announce a re-opening date, the ongoing upgrades undertaken by Kitty’s Restaurant are “definitely moving in the right direction,” according to Heath Director Bob Bracey. “I would classify it as it’s in its final stages.”

Bracey told the Transcript on Monday afternoon that earlier in the day he had met with the consultant Kitty’s hired to assist them with the upgrades after the Salmonella outbreak in late June and early July. “A lot of good and positive things have been done, so I think we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.

“They’re probably a day or two out from finishing some of the other necessary repairs with the plumbing and some infrastructure, before we can actually say that they’re clear,” he said, adding that Kitty’s requested Monday’s inspection. “Hopefully they’ll call me by week’s end. …It might have been premature to go there this morning but we went anyway just to see what was going on.”

Sports Spirits & Steaks still closed

The inspection for the new septic system at Sports Spirits & Steaks went well, Bracey said, but the restaurant remains closed because of other ongoing issues, such as the failed HVAC system. The restaurant has been closed since early July.

“We’ve advised them to bring in a consultant as well, like Kitty’s, to help guide them through process to get them through these issues,” Bracey said.

The closure of Sports, Spirits & Steaks has also affected Dascoli’s Pizza up to this point because they share a septic system. However, since Dascoli’s does not share the same HVAC system it is likely that the take-out pizza shop will be able to open sooner — independent of the repairs and upgrades needed by Sports, Spirits & Steaks, he said.

In addition to the Health Department inspections other town inspection departments, such as the building, fire, electrical, and gas/plumbing, must also sign off on all inspections that fall under their purview to ensure all applicable codes are met before any of these three restaurants are once again open to the public.