At Friday’s Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce Good Morning Alpena breakfast, Konczak provided an update on all of his projects, which also include the Sanctuary Cinema (the former Royal Knight Theater), the Maltz Theater (the old State Theater), and a food park where the former Alpena County jail sits on Johnson Street.

Discussing the Minton, which is next to Cabin Creek Coffee, and the Vaughn, which is next to the Minton, Konczak said a new bar and restaurant called the Foundry will feature a roll-up door to the street, as well as curved glass and heated sidewalks. He said he will lease the second floor as office space.

The Vaughn will feature a new C3 Bakery and other businesses on the ground level and second floor.

Konczak said work is progressing on the Sanctuary Cinema, but an ongoing microchip shortage has made it difficult to acquire needed projectors and audio equipment. He said he has been told the 4K video projectors and state-of-the art sound system should arrive in March.

Courtesy Photo A new rendering of the Vaughn shows crowded sidewalks and a large mural on the side of the building. Once finished the two-story building will feature small businesses on both levels.

As for the former State Theater, Konczak has tried to get the building on the National Register of Historic Places, but, to do so, he has to get the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office to sign off on the plans.

According to Konczak, that agency has been reluctant to support the historic designation because the agency doesn’t want him to remove bricks that cover the old window from the original structure.

Konczak said he will wait until around Thanksgiving to have the Preservation Office sign off. If it doesn’t, he will move forward without the historical designation with the original window area exposed.

“It has become very bureaucratic,” he said. “I bought the building to put the windows back. That was the plan, and that is what I’m going to do.”

Konczak purchased the old Vaughn department store building in early 2021, after he acquired the Royal Knight theater and State Theater in the summer of 2020, just before the peak of the COVD-19 pandemic.

His bid to buy the former jail was accepted by Alpena County earlier this year.

Like the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, Konczak said he envisioned a lot of foot traffic downtown, which will help fill the shops and entertainment venues. He said Alpena is also becoming a destination for cruise ships, which will make the Heritage Center, and the downtown even more of an attraction.

He did not provide an estimate when the projects will be completed, but said work continues with all of the projects.

“We’re getting after it,” he said.