Merced Mysteries & Minutiae: Work on The Partisan continues, no reopening date in sight

In March, a popular downtown watering hole and music venue closed its doors temporarily for renovation.

It’s 2016, and The Partisan still is closed.

The owners – Joey and R.C. Essig, Tim Williams and Vanessa Hofmann – purchased the property after leasing for a few years and decided it was time to make some changes to the outdated interior. The building, which dates to the 1800s, housed a bar, jazz lounge and furniture store in the past. The Partisan opened in 2007.

Back in March, R.C. Essig guessed the work would take three to five months.

It’s now a new year, and The Partisan’s doors remain locked.

Q: Is work to renovate The Partisan being done? If so, when will it reopen? Or is The Partisan closed for good?

A: The Partisan will reopen, said Joey Essig, but he couldn’t say exactly when.

“By the time we do reopen, everybody will forget we were ever open anyways,” he joked.

So what’s taking so long?

Well, the owners are doing the work themselves mostly in their spare time or when they’re not working at the 17th Street Public House, another bar they own and remodeled themselves. Essig said that project took a year and a half, and The Partisan is a much bigger project.

The business partners enjoy doing the renovation work themselves, Essig said. “We like having the satisfaction,” he said. “It’s your work and your place.”

He wouldn’t reveal what kind of plans or what kind of look they’re going for with The Partisan. He did say previous aspects of the interior, specifically the wood paneling and bar, hadn’t been updated since the 1970s or ’80s.

When the bar and music venue first opened, old musical instruments and concert posters lined the walls. The Essig brothers said they decorated on a “shoestring” budget, with much of the decor coming from antique or thrift shops or “old junk” from their parents’ house.

Over the holidays, work has been slow, R.C. Essig said, but he’s hoping it will pick up now that it’s a new year.

In March, the city approved a demolition permit for The Partisan. Currently in the works is a renovation permit, said Cindy Crabb, a plan examiner with the city. The city is waiting for paperwork and plans from architects before issuing the renovation permit, she said.

When The Partisan reopens, Essig said, it will still host live music and bands.

“When it opens I think it’s going to be a really great treasure in downtown,” Essig said.

Changing the subject

I was really surprised to find in a tip list on CalRecycle’s website that leftovers and food scraps could be thrown in green waste bins. It sort of made sense because the website said the waste would be used for compost and other things.

Well it turns out that’s not necessarily the case.

Food waste is not accepted in the green waste can in most residential areas, such as Atwater, Dos Palos, Los Banos, Merced and other areas in Merced County, said Jennifer Halpin with the Merced County Regional Waste Management Authority.

Haulers for Gustine and Livingston accept fruits,veggies and clean paper within their green waste containers, which are taken to a facility owned by Gilton Solid Waste.

Halpin said there are only a small number of facilities in the state that accept food waste.

CalRecycle since has removed the tip from its website.

Carry on with putting the regular yard trimmings in your green waste bins, and put your Christmas tree in there too if you can make it fit.

But whatever you do, don’t put food scraps in the green bin.

This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Merced Mysteries & Minutiae: Work on The Partisan continues, no reopening date in sight."