NEWS UPDATES

Spring Suds

The owners of a massive planned brewery, restaurant and events center in Sand Springs are hoping to have the project under construction by June, with an eye toward being open for business by the end of the year.

Ken Alexander, the founder and CEO of the SpringLoaded Brewery, said the project -- which will be located in the old Sand Springs Power, Light & Water Building at 221 S. Main St. -- is awaiting word on the status of its application for federal tax credits from the National Park Service, a trigger for securing the financing needed to complete the 30,000-square-foot, $5.5 million project. Alexander said earlier this month he anticipated receiving word on that application by late April.

Alexander said there would be a four- to four-and-a-half-month build-out for the brewery portion of the project, while the restaurant would take five and a half months to six months. The events center, with seating for 750 people, would be the last portion of the project to open, but Alexander said he hopes to have all three phases under construction at the same time in order to minimize disruption to the operation.

The brewery already has developed seven beers, he said, with another in development. The SpringLoaded Brewery also is planning to develop a beer next year to commemorate the centennial of Sand Springs, according to Alexander.

When organizers held a press conference in November 2010 to unveil the project, they said they planned to be open by mid summer. Alexander acknowledged that deadline won't be met, but he said if he gets the good news he expects soon from the National Park Service, it'll be only a matter of weeks before work gets underway.

"That will signal the start of real positive, high-speed movement," he said. "I'm well into my fifth year of involvement with this, and I'd really like to see some substantial progress."