The week began with a Buzz and turns out it’ll end that way, too.

First up: Blue Galangal is closed.

The Thai restaurant opened in the former Cathay Hut on Lisbon Street a year ago under somewhat of a cloud: General Manager June Bunleng’s nearly 20-year-old Pepper & Spice Thai Cuisine had closed just down the road a few months earlier after a city inspection flagged a dozen issues including cockroaches. Two months before that, Bunleng had been indicted for tax evasion at the restaurant.

After the opening of Blue Galangal last March, Bunleng didn’t want to talk about either topic but said he looked forward to a fresh start and was happy so many customers had followed him up the road. He was the new restaurant’s general manager and chef, his brother, Bundit Sukson, the chef and owner.

It’s unclear when the restaurant closed; there’s no sign on the door. An official with the Lewiston planning department said Blue Galangal’s state eating establishment license expired in February and word was that water and electricity had been shut off.

Bunleng pleaded guilty last fall to nine charges that included felony tax evasion and misapplication of sales tax. Investigators concluded he under-reported earnings by $2.5 million over a dozen years. He was scheduled to be sentenced Thursday to four years with all but four months suspended, but sentencing was postponed to May 3.

Start your engines

Evergreen Subaru’s plans to turn the former Best Buy off Turner Street into its new space got the green light from the Auburn Planning Board in a 5-0 vote this week, according to city staff. The $2.8 million project needed a site amendment from the board to move ahead.

Michael Gotto of Stoneybrook Consultants told the board in a letter that Evergreen Subaru owner Doug Weisz hopes to have the building converted to a service area in May and to have the new showroom and site improvements finished by the end of the year.

Public hearing ahead

The Lewiston Planning Board sent a notice to abutters this week about a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 25, at City Hall for a contract zoning request that would pave the way for a 245-unit apartment project with an estimated cost of $30 million to $35 million.

The change involves properties at 10, 35 and 37 Avon St.

In October, Massachusetts-based Saxon Partners unveiled plans for a 240-unit apartment complex in that area, at the former home of Pineland Lumber.

City Planner Doug Greene said the five additional units were added in the past month.

At the end of the public hearing, the board will have the option to consider passing on a favorable recommendation for the project to the City Council, which will ultimately decide on the contract zoning change, he said.

It would then come back to the board for site plan, parking and other reviews before getting to move ahead.

Staff writer Christopher Williams contributed to this Buzz.

Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 207-689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.

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