Gilmor Glass soon to shine…

MILLERTON — The entryway into the village of Millerton is in the midst of getting a facelift, thanks to the renovation of the oft-disparaged appearance of the Gilmor Glass building. The changes won’t only improve the aesthetics at the corner of routes 22 and 44; they will also make that intersection eco-friendly, as the finished project will boast solar panels, recycled, high-efficiency and low-argon materials and other items that go “beyond Energy Star,� according to Gilmor Glass owner John Gilmor.

“We’re trying to do this as green as possible,� Gilmor said. “So far we’ve replaced the roof over our studio and installed solar panels up there. We’re about to replace some windows. Of course we’ve demolished the back section and are going to put up another building up there, but we haven’t finalized the designs.�

Those plans will be made with the help of design firm, Toesis of Lakeville, Conn. Gilmor himself is acting as the general contractor.

Once the back of the building is finished it will become the studio, and the present studio will become additional retail space. In total more of the 15,000-square foot site will be made use of than previously. In addition, much of the former structure, which had fallen into a state of disrepair, will be removed, repaired, rebuilt and/or renovated.

“It’s a big relief, especially to get that building torn down and all cleaned up,� Gilmor said. “They really did a nice job of cleaning that up. It took longer to clean up than to tear it down.�

Gilmor acknowledged that the building was in need of some major work.

“It was an eyesore when I bought it 14 years ago, and had  been neglected long before that,â€� he said. “And it’s just taken us a long time to get the funding together to be able to do this.â€�

Being “greenâ€� doesn’t come cheap. The cost for the solar panels on the existing studio alone cost roughly $150,000; Gilmor said grants and  tax rebates allowed him to afford those panels. Now the building is producing 16 kilowatts of energy on a sunny day, which is enough to run a couple of households, he said. Once the new studio space is outfitted with more solar panels, he said he hopes the whole operation will produce enough energy to be self-sufficient. The whole green concept, Gilmor said, is an important one.

“It’s good for the environment, it’s good for trying to keep things out of landfills and it’s good to cut down on air pollution,� he said. “I think [the community’s mentality about environmentalism] is starting to shift. Once there’s more of an awareness people will hopefully jump on the bandwagon.�

Green, and good looking, too. Not a bad combination, according to the businessman who also happens to sit on the village Planning Board.

“I think we’ll be able to make this gateway to the village really stand out; we will when we finish the new building. We hope that it will work in with the existing character of the building. So now we’ve got Salsa Fresca, Gilmor Glass and Salisbury Bank as focus points of entrance to the village, and I think it will look spectacular,� Gilmor said, adding that a number of homes in the area have been spruced up lately, too. “And that’s a really good trend for the village.�

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