by Kristina Gabalski
Brockport residents, business owners and community leaders had plenty of questions for Al Plumb, the new owner of 100 Fair Street in the village, during an event held at the Salmon Creek Country Club Thursday, October 18.
The Greater Brockport Chamber of Commerce hosted the event which offered the first opportunity for the community at- large to learn more about Plumb’s plans for the former Kleen Brite facility and to ask questions regarding their concerns.
Plumb provided specific details about his vision for each building on the site which includes a mix of retail and recycling and answered questions from the audience.
“A lot of people are concerned about a junkyard,” Plumb said of his plans to house a recyclables recovery and transfer station in a 29,000 square feet building on the east side of the complex. “I’m going to put you at ease – I’m not going to build a junkyard,” Plumb said.
Plumb is the co-owner of ALPCO Recycling in Macedon which employs 165 people, he said.
The transfer station component of the 100 Fair Street plan took up a major portion of Plumb’s presentation and discussion.
He said all operations would take place inside the building and trucks would enter and exit from the east side via South Avenue and Owens Road.
He told Fair Street residents in attendance that if there is ever any problem with odors, “I will shut it down. We know how to contain (odors). We know how to take care of it.”
He said it would likely take one to one-and-a-half years and at least two public hearings to get through the permitting process.
“It’s my community now,” Plumb said of Brockport. “People are very, very important to me. You’re going to find I’m going to be a good neighbor.”
Those in attendance did express concerns over odor, with several saying they enjoy sitting on their porches and don’t want to worry about smells, especially when they have guests at their homes. Questions were also asked regarding truck traffic, noise and traffic generated by a proposed reuse and retail re-sale store, farm market and residential drop off center on the west side of the complex.
Plumb said traffic involved in the recycling part of the business (including the transfer station) would be directed to enter and exit from the far east end of the property out to Owens Road and Route 31. Loading docks currently located on the west side of the building would be closed off, he said, helping to suppress noise on the residential side of the site.
He noted that is the farthest point from residential neighbors. “Nobody sees, nobody hears, nobody smells,” he said. He said he doesn’t expect retail traffic on the west side to be a problem. “We’ve studied the traffic impact,” he said and noted traffic would be entering from different access points and that it would be spread out during the week.
Plumb’s plans to sell used cars on the site also raised red flags for some in attendance.
He explained he plans to install a berm to block the view of any cars on the property. “I don’t need them in front, I don’t need a sign, they will be hidden so nobody sees,” he said and added, “I’m not big for having inventory, there’s not going to be 100 cars on the lot.”
Throughout the discussion, Plumb frequently expressed how impressed he has been with Brockport. “It’s an amazing village,” he said. “People walk in Brockport. In Macedon, you don’t see people walking. I’m liking this village more and more.”
He explained that after taking note of the popularity of walking in the village, he plans to install sidewalk along the west side of the property from Fair Street to South Avenue by next spring.
At the close of the presentation, one Fair Street resident said she has been impressed so far with improvements Plumb has already made to the property.
“I walk my dog down there,” she said, and instead of being greeted by abandoned buildings peppered with graffiti, “I see beauty – driving down the street in the evenings – it’s such a pretty thing to look at now.”
“People on Fair Street gave me a chance,” Plumb responded. “They came down the street and looked and asked questions with concern. Every single person has been just great.”
He said he is working on a three year timeline to complete the renovation project and at most, sixty people would eventually be employed at the site.
