Besides being fully framed, the store now has plywood siding with the windows cut out. The roof was put on last week, making it possible to begin some of the important interior work very soon.
Most impressive is the turret - a part of the original structure that was lost over the years during subsequent remodels. The turret is a rounded piece jutting out above the corner on Main Street and Kelly Avenue with a pointed roof that looks a little like a witch's hat.
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The first is that the project is near and dear to the hearts of most Coastsiders and so it has had overwhelming support. Another factor is that local contractor Bruce Turner and his crew at TurnerBuilt has worked tirelessly to expedite the project over any of the hurdles in front of it.
And then there's Bev Ashcraft, herself, who is the owner of Cunha's and who has managed the project much like she has run Cunha's store during all these years - like a tight ship.
If you ever stopped by Cunha's right after school let out, you'd find Bev standing with her arms crossed over her chest watching kids in the candy aisle with an eagle eye, and you'd know how some of the construction workers must be feeling when she stops by the project every afternoon to check on its progress.
Half Moon Bay City Manager Dan Pincetich says he can't believe how fast the project has gone up and attributes its success to Ashcraft, who, he says "has managed the project beautifully."
"Bev is driving that project," Pincetich said. "She's a business person who knows what she is doing."
Bruce Turner agrees. "If I had only one word to describe Bev, it would be 'intentional,'" Turner said. "When she makes up her mind about something, it happens."
Of course, she's also watching over the project with heart, too. Sometimes she stops by in the afternoon, bringing the crew cold sodas.
Cameron Palmer, who organized a block party to raise money for the Cunha's employee relief fund right after the fire destroyed Cunha's store last May, said he's inspired by how quickly Cunha's is taking shape and said he's ready to start organizing the party for the grand opening of the store the first of May. "We have only four months," he said. "Of course, last time with the block party, we only had two weeks to pull together the event, so this should be easy."
Any way you look at it, one thing is for certain: Cunha's represents what's best about this town, and what can happen when people work together to make something happen.
- The Half Moon Bay Review
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