Feb 10, 2003 – The sign at Pastory Gardens mini golf says "Soon Come," and owner Rich Singerle said he expects to open the 18-hole executive putting course by the end of February.
Singerle said on Friday that he has faced the usual St. John construction delays, forcing postponement of his earlier anticipated December 2002 opening. "It wasn't any one thing," he said.
He said currently crews are installing light fixtures to illuminate the course for night play.
Construction began in December 2001. Singerle said he has invested about $3.5 million in the project.
The complex will feature not only the mini-golf course, but also a bar, pro shop and a virtual reality golf game, he said. The virtual reality game gives participants a chance to play at any of 32 PGA golf courses around the world.
He said another part of the complex, a 135-seat restaurant called Wingnuts Café, will open a few weeks later.
Down the road, he has plans to open about a dozen shops. He expected to unveil a butterfly garden when he opened the mini-golf course but said he will now wait until after the 2003 hurricane season.
An adjacent self-storage project remains in the works. That project is owned by Michael Brough, who in the fall completed the permitting process for the construction. He is in the midst of putting together a team to build the project and said he does't have a target date for completion.
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