Renewed Interest in Johnsburg Property
This is interesting. Link to Post Star article and Pics @ bottom.
JOHNSBURG -- Goods were once unloaded there and soldiers went there to be sent off to World War I.
After years of sitting dormant, what is known locally as the Waddell or Kellog property will return to its glory days, Supervisor Sterling Goodspeed said.
"This was a hustling and bustling part of the community," he said, pointing to the now-vacant buildings that sprouted up around the train station by the Hudson River. "This part of town sat here like an abandoned antique."
Town officials hope to soon take over the property now owned by the Open Space Institute, a land conservation group, after a deal with Warren County for the land fell through.
Goodspeed said the county Board of Supervisors doesn't want to take on any more projects after ventures such as Gaslight Village and the scenic trains have caused controversy.
"I can understand from a county perspective," he said. "As long as the property was preserved, I was OK with it, but I think this permits local folks to really have a hand in this."
At the last Town Board meeting, he said, officials approved the transfer of title, and at the next Warren County Board of Supervisors meeting, the board should wash its hands of the land.
Getting the title depends on how quickly OSI and the town's lawyers get to the table, he said.
"I would hope we have it by the end of the summer," he said.
On Thursday afternoon, a group of neighbors got together on the property by the Hudson River as they browsed through tents filled with locally produced fresh breads, jams and produce.
Barbara Thomas, who spearheads the weekly farmers market, said even though the market is only in its second year, it has already grown from 12 to 15 vendors.
"This property is fantastic," she said, marveling at the ability to host the market indoors or out depending on the weather. "It's been a great opportunity for us."
This year, she said, the market has added cheeses, yogurts and peanut butter.
"I went to a meeting where everybody was crying for a farmer's market," she said. "That's where it all started."
As Goodspeed looked on, he envisioned the land as playing host to much more than the weekly farmers market.
But a concrete plan, he said, has not been decided.
Ideas have been tossed around for ways to use the property, he said, including a concert series and a place for SUNY Adirondack to host adventure sports coursework, and a group has met a few times to discuss them.
Final decisions will be made, Goodspeed said, after the town gets the title for the property.
Some needs have been established, he said, such as environmentally sound bathrooms, groundskeeping, landscaping and a boat launch to use for the annual Whitewater Derby.
The county has a $191,000 waterfront revitalization grant for the property, which Goodspeed said will be transferred to the town once officials get title.
Goodspeed said he wants the property to be used for three of the four seasons a year, and wants to establish a landmark event for each season.
"It's been a goal to connect to the river," he said, referring to the land as the interconnect from Main Street to the river. "Everything becomes walkable."
Goodspeed has long been lauding a connection between Gore Mountain and businesses on Main Street. Last winter, a shuttle took visitors between Ski Bowl, the business district and Gore Mountain. This winter, he said, a series of trails and a chairlift taking skiers from Gore to Ski Bowl should be complete. The land by the river, he said, connects the business district to the Hudson.
As some left the farmers market, Goodspeed said, they would make their way to one of the restaurants on Main Street to grab a quick bite to eat.
In the spring, a festival during the weekend of the Whitewater Derby was hosted at the site. And in the winter, he said, town officials are contracting with Barton Mines to store products in one of the buildings. Money from that lease, he said, will be put into a capital improvement fund to be used for the property.
"We wanted to make sure - grant money isn't going to last forever, so we want to make sure the property is financially stable," he said.
Two pavilions have been built with money from the grant, he said, but the four original buildings won't be going away.
What to do with the buildings will be discussed after the title transfer. The white building on the property has structural problems, but Goodspeed said there was no public support to tear it down.
To the north, he said, another property owned by OSI is being looked at by the town, also for recreational use.
"It's a community unifier," he said.
Posted in Local on Friday, July 23, 2010 10:42 pm http://poststar.com/news/local/artic...cc4c03286.html
