Utica area billiard halls and bowling alleys are hoping to reopen soon, but the state of New York has not yet issued guidelines or a timetable for them to do so. Andrea Duvall, owner of Utica Billiards on the Boulevard, said it’s been a waiting game since mid-March when they were forced to close.
“I kind of thought it would be a month or two,” she said. Now, four months and counting, her pool hall and other local businesses must continue to wait.
Bowling alleys and other indoor entertainment were originally supposed to open in Phase Four of the state-guided reopening, according to the Utica Observer-Dispatch. However, they were left out when details were announced, leaving Craig Vogel, owner of King Pin Lanes in the town of Rome, frustrated.
He said the restrictions would be similar to those used by restaurants, which reopened for indoor dining in June. “Instead of a table where you eat, you have a lane where you bowl.”