Ronald Cappa continues to restore the former Westfield Bowling Center which has been closed for 14-years. Cappa hopes of reopening the center soon. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Ronald Cappa, owner of the Westfield Bowling Center, checks the pin-setting equipment after investing several thousand dollars to refurbish the eight lane units. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – Much like Gepetto tinkering away at his wooden Pinocchio, Ron Cappa has been attempting to realize a wooden dream of his own for the past two years, working tirelessly to rebuild the candlepin bowling alley in the Romani building on 11 Church Street, a building he has been renting and working on for two years.
Progress has been undeniable but there is a distinct possibility that his vast efforts may be all for naught, as the city has every intention of demolishing the building as part of it’s Urban Renewal Project.
To step inside Cappa’s bowling alley is to step inside a time machine, harkening back to visions of a forgotten age, when the bowling alley was the place to be for a kid on a Friday night.
“This was a real hip, going town,” said Cappa, 69, who hails originally from Enfield, Conn. but has owned a floor covering business in Westfield for years now. “(When it was running) I was in town, but I didn’t patronize it. I thought it would be a good thing for the town to have again.”
Cappa still does floor covering for local landlords to pay his bills and to continue work on the project, which has proven to be a monumental task, as he has poured considerable resources into restoring the alley.
“One of these machines cost me $5,000 to fix,” he said, pointing to the end of the first of the alley’s lanes, before going on to say that he still needs to purchase balls and shoes for bowlers to rent, as well as around 80 replacement pins, at $40 apiece. “It’s a matter of doing the extra things at this point.”
The Air Force veteran, who served in Vietnam, as well as stints in England, France, and Germany, has even dipped into his benefits to rebuild the institution, which has been closed for fourteen years, according to Cappa.
“I put all my money into this,” he said. “But it’s not about the money. It’s a dream that the town would be able to have this again.”
He went on to explain that the project has personal significance and meaning to him, as well.
“It’s not just the bowling alley. I came to this location with my business materials, so it’s my trade, it’s my life here.” he said.
Cappa says the alley should be operational and ready to open in September. City officials have other plans.
“That building belongs to the Romani family, and they are who we will speak to when it comes time to purchase the building,” said Jeff Daley, the City of Westfield’s Advancement Officer, who believes that negotiations will begin sometime next month. “We committed to this (Urban Renewal Project) three years ago, and the building is proposed to be the location of a new parking garage.”
“He (Cappa) applied for a license in 2008 and didn’t do anything with it,” said Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik, who said that Cappa then visited his office in 2010 to discuss his renovating the bowling alley. “I told him of our (Urban Renewal Plan) and told him that his only hope is to renovate it and hope someone else decides to buy it.”
It is unlikely that such an agreement currently is or will be in place in the near future. Cappa is still holding out hope that his Church Street bowling alley will again serve as a hub of activity for the city.
“I want to take out ads soon, and if it opens, I want to start leagues,” he said. “I could throw it away and retire, but it’s my life.”
Follow Peter Francis on Twitter @PeterFrancisWNG
