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Gas station will become welcome center The new, arched windows on the southern side of David Radovich's store look out on a deteriorated blacktop parking lot clotted with illegally parked cars, tall weeds and scattered garbage. The owner of Radovich & Dean Music on Gleneida Avenue said he is looking forward to a change of scenery. So are the county and a non-profit group called Preserve Putnam County. The goal of the public-private partnership is to transform the former gas station at Route 52 and Fair Street into a pocket park, museum and welcome center. "I'm really anxious for it to happen," Radovich said. "I put those windows in so we can look out at the park." Spain Oil donated the 48-by-115-foot wedge of land to Preserve Putnam County, founded by the Whipple family of Kent. which will, in turn, lease the lot to the county for a nominal fee. George Whipple said his group wants to create a permanent collection of historical objects that will serve as a backdrop for exhibits. Of particular interest are American Indians; the Philipse family, which held the original patent that included what is now Putnam County; and the Revolutionary War period. "I've always wanted to do something in my hometown, to make some sort of a difference," said Whipple, a New York City investment banker who maintains his own extensive collection of Putnam County artifacts. The abandoned gas station and attached work bays will be renovated and have a cherry-red facade, and grass will replace blacktop. A fence with wrought iron gates will line the property's edge. For the third year in a row, county officials are seeking a state grant of about $280,000 for the project. The county will have to match a portion of the grant if it comes through, Deputy County Executive Donald Smith said. The state money, the county match and other expenses would bring the total cost of the project to about $530,000. If the grant is denied, the county will do the work in-house, which would take about two years, officials said. Otherwise, it will hire outside contractors, who could finish the job in six months. Plans are expected to be completed by the end of the year and work would start next year, Smith said. The 23-year renewable lease gives the county two years to fix up the property. |
