By Meaghan M. McDermott
Staff Writer Democrat&Chronicle
(August 6, 2004) —
GATES — Jan and John Huether have lived on
Coldwater Road for 35 years. For nearly two
decades, they've had to look at the boarded-up
façade of a vacant gas station every time they
drove through the intersection of their street
with Buffalo Road.
But not any longer.
Late last month, the Gates Fire District
purchased the long-dormant Mobil station at 3075
Buffalo Road. Last week they knocked it down.
“I said to the kids we should get a bottle of
champagne” to celebrate the demolition, said Jan
Huether, whose family runs Huether Heating and
Cooling at 3041 Buffalo Road.
“It was such an eyesore; I'm glad it's gone.”
William Gillette, chairman of the fire
district's Board of Commissioners, said the
board is considering using some of the former
gas station land to expand the Company No. 3
fire station at 22 Coldwater Road. Gillette said
the gas station, which is adjacent to the fire
station, had been vacant for 18 years.
The district paid $150,000 for the 1-acre
site and hopes to have an expansion plan for
Company No. 3 in place by spring, he said.
“Looking at the big picture, it made sense
for us to acquire the property and look out
toward our vision for the future,” he said,
noting that the current 35-year-old Company No.
3 building does not comply with Americans with
Disabilities Act requirements.
Changes to the fire station could include
larger truck bays as well as quarters and
offices for full-time firefighters.
The Gates Fire District has wanted to
renovate Company No. 3 for years. Those plans
factored into a 2002 controversy, when
negotiations fell through between the town of
Gates and the district over use of a town-owned
public safety building in the Rochester
Technology Park on Elmgrove Road.
Town leaders wanted the fire district to have
a substantial presence in the building; fire
district officials wanted to use only a small
portion of the building and still renovate
Company No. 3.
Melanie Yankanich of Coldwater Road said
she's glad “somebody finally did something”
about the old gas station.
“Everything else around here has gotten a
fresher look. That is the one thing that just
stayed,” she said.
Lorraine Gibbs, also of Coldwater Road, said
she had almost given up hope that the gas
station would ever come down.
“It's funny now to see it gone, though,” she
said.
MCDERMOT@DemocratandChronicle.com
