MILLERTON — Ask anyone who has ever driven the streets of Millerton and they’re sure to agree — parking is at a premium in the village proper. That’s not to say there aren’t spaces if one is willing to veer off Main Street and do a little bit of walking (take Century Boulevard for example). But when Millerton is at its busiest, even the so-called “secret spots� get filled, leaving drivers with no where to turn.
That’s why Millerton Mayor John Scutieri was so pleased to announce the destruction of a couple of buildings on South Center Street, at the old Peter Woods property, near the town’s highway garage. The work paved the way for the creation of a new parking lot, next to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail — a parking lot that has been years in the making.
“It basically started four or five years ago, when the property was taken by the county because of a tax situation and the village had obviously been confronted by businesses, residents and visitors because there was never a place to park,� the mayor said, “That property became available by the Rail Trail and we thought if we could help alleviate the Rail Trail’s needs [for more parking, which in turn would free up more parking in the village], that seemed the most likely spot to do it. It’s just taken forever because of the legal issues with the county, because it was a potential Brownfields site, and there were issues with the soil.�
Once it was determined the soil was not contaminated and there was no need to treat the property as a Brownfields project, things became simpler. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), “with certain legal exclusions and additions, the term brownfield site means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.�
The village decided it was best to lease the roughly half-acre property from the county, clean up and make use of the grounds and then eventually take ownership of the site. Last Tuesday that process began, when all but one of the existing buildings were torn down. Next the site will be completely cleared and the land will be capped off with stone and paving. Blockade fencing will also be installed around a drainage area close to the Rail Trail, to protect people from soft soil in the area.
There will also be a small pedestrian bridge built to link the parking lot to the Rail Trail, which the mayor predicted will be “quite attractive.� The village’s engineers are getting the specifications prepared to go out to bid for the paving presently. Meanwhile, highway departments from both the village and the town are doing as much of the work in-house as possible to save taxpayers’ money.
The one building on the site that was not demolished is a large one, which will remain standing. Scutieri said he has hopes that building will ultimately be converted into a space for the village police department.
“It’s got huge, beautiful old garage doors and it’s the perfect location for the police station in my opinion,� he said. “It’s got lots of exposure on a smaller, quiet side road that has some issues. All in all, when compared to where the police station is now on the second floor of the Village Hall, it really does make a whole lot of sense to me.
“Certain people also have a slight issue of using the Rail Trail by themselves, they’re uncomfortable,� he added. “The presence of the police on the Rail Trail would be a more friendly environment that would help. A couple of our officers like to cycle and we could patrol the Rail Trail with the county and there could be quite a wonderful little situation down there.�
Despite the new lot’s proximity to the Rail Trail, parking will not be exclusively for the linear park. The lot will offer free municipal parking to all drivers. Signs will be posted throughout the village directing cars there.
Scutieri said he was initially concerned that parking away from the nucleus of the village, that is, Main Street, could deter potential shoppers from finding their way to village shops. He’s since stopped worrying about that.
“My original thought was that this would draw parking away from Main Street and the merchants might object because it might draw people away from the stores,� he said. “But I’ve come to think the more parking for the village the better, and the more cleaning up down there the better.
“This is really a great project, but I don’t think our parking problem is going to be solved by this. I don’t think this is the ultimate solution,� he said. “I’m still more passionate about Century Boulevard, and the opportunities there. That will help out merchants even more so.�
The cost of the South Center Street parking lot is estimated at $80,000. The money is coming out of a community development block grant the village was awarded by the county in 2005.
The block grant amount given to Millerton was actually $150,000, because it was thought at the time that the village would have to buy the property, do remediation and then pave it. For various and sundry legal reasons it hasn’t worked out that way, which has worked in the favor of all involved. According to the mayor the property got a “clean bill of health,� and already passed phase one of the required environmental testing.
It’s expected the project will be completed by Memorial Day. That’s an optimistic projection, according to the mayor, who said he’s gunning for that completion date.
“The fact is there is a mind-set in Millerton that there’s no place to park, so people avoid coming here,� Scutieri said. “If we can alleviate that I think it will really give the village quite a boost.�
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