Putney General Store to rise again after 2 fires
|
|
From left, Lyssa Papazian, Stuart Strothman and Ruth Barton of the Putney Historical Society hold historical photos and design renderings for the Putney General Store Saturday. The Historical Society is in the process of rebuilding the store a second time after a second fire, with funds raised through donations and grants. AP PHOTO/JASON R. HENSKE |
Toolbox
By JOHN CURRAN The Associated Press - Published: February 8, 2010
PUTNEY — There's a painting on the chain link fence that surrounds the burned rubble of the Putney General Store.
It depicts a phoenix, a mythical bird said to burn itself in a pyre of flames, from which a new phoenix rises. In the painting is an inscription: "We shall come together. We shall rise like a Phoenix."
It's an apt metaphor.
Rebuilt after a 2008 fire, the store was destroyed last November in an arson fire, just as renovations were finishing.
But rise, it will: Shaken but determined, members of the community and the Putney Historical Society have raised $720,000 to rebuild it, hoping to restore a fixture in the village that dates to the 1800s.
"It's amazing to see the energy and the commitment of people in that community to rebuild the store," said Nancy Everhart, conservation director for the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, which is kicking in $67,500 for the effort. "It underscores the importance of a place like that for a community that really is a focal point and a gathering spot."
The building, said to be the longest-operating general store in Vermont, was all things to all people — a place to get coffee, buy a shovel, trade gossip or meet friends.
The first fire, in May 2008, damaged the building's attic. It was accidental, according to Fire Chief Tom Goddard.
When owner Erhan Oge opted not to rebuild, the Putney Historical Society bought the property and raised about $800,000 in private donations, government subsidies and in-kind services. The building was nearly ready for occupancy when the second fire hit, on Nov. 1.
That one leveled the store entirely, the heartbreak of the loss compounded when fire investigators branded it arson.
No arrests have been made, despite a probe by fire investigators and the Vermont State Police that included the unusual step of using a roadside checkpoint one night in December. The idea was to talk to people who regularly pass through Putney on a Sunday night, which is when the second fire happened.
Still, nothing.
"Investigators still have evidence they're following up on and they encourage anyone with information, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, to come forward," said Windham County State's Attorney Tracy Kelly Shriver.
With donations from Putney residents, grants from Chittenden Bank, the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and offers of in-kind services — including locally harvested lumber, a roofer's commitment of a week's worth of his work — the new building is being designed.
About $100,000 came from a federal grant secured by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and provided by the Preservation Trust, a nonprofit.
"The general store in Putney, as is true with lots of communities around the state, is crucial to the success of this community," said Paul Bruhn, executive director of the Preservation Trust. "They're important community gathering places that serve their own communities first and foremost. In the case of Putney, the store is a very important economic development asset.
"It was sort of the anchor store that really brought a lot of traffic into the village center, which then supported the other retail and restaurants," he said.
All told, about $720,000 has been raised, and $200,000 more is needed, according to Stuart Strothman, president of the Society.
Among the features planned: a sprinkler system and surveillance video cameras.
For many, though, the specter of the arson fires lingers. The Lisai family, which owns grocery stores in Bellows Falls, Chester and Grafton, had agreed to operate the general store once it was renovated but pulled out after the Nov. 1 fire was found to be arson.
"There's nobody that isn't concerned, to put it mildly, about the fact that it was arson and that the arsonist is out there, somewhere," said Betsy MacIsaac, 55, of Putney, who with her husband donated money to both rebuilding efforts.
"Maybe they were passing through. Maybe it was a one-time thing. But it's a concern for everybody. For some people, it makes it hard for them to contribute even if they want to, because what if it happens again?"
That's no reason not to rebuild, she said.
"It's one of those things where we can't let somebody control us in that way, and spoil our community. We have to rebuild the store, or we've been defeated."
————
On the Net:
Putney Historical Society: http://www.putneyhistory.us/
Save the Putney General Store: http://www.putneygeneralstore.org/
27