Visitors’ Center And Parking Lot Opens With Fanfare At Former Eldredge Garage Property

CHATHAM – With a snip of a ceremonial ribbon Friday, town officials officially opened the new public parking lot and visitors’ center at the former Eldredge Garage property on the east end of Main Street. The facility offers public restrooms and will eventually include electric vehicle charging stations, open space, informational displays and more.

The site is rich in history, serving as the town’s transportation hub for many years. It housed a looming barn that served as the town’s livery stable, housed the town’s fire engine, and was later a service station. Most recently, the site was home base to a station wagon that provided a popular shuttle service to Lighthouse Beach. In 2015, before his passing, Bill Eldredge told town officials that he would like the site to continue benefiting the public.

“It’s really amazing. It looks fantastic,” said Sharon Eldredge Kaplowitz, one of Mr. Eldredge’s children. “Our father, he just loved this town,” she said, and he wanted to see the land continue to be useful.

The replica of the service station building bears an “Eldredge Garage” sign and the building is flanked by replica old-time air and gas pumps. Inside, there are public restrooms in the rear and a main room that will house visitor information and historic photos telling the story of the property. Finishing touches, like the landscaping and installation of EV chargers, will be completed in the next few weeks. The building provides storage space for the valet parking operation that runs the paid parking lot, and there will be a small wildflower meadow preserved as open space at the rear of the property. There is a water bottle refilling station, device charging stations and a bike storage rack and a tool station where cyclists can make minor repairs.

Town Manager Jill Goldsmith thanked the Eldredge family and David and Gail Oppenheim for allowing the town to acquire the property. She also thanked the seven-member property planning committee which studied the property and recommended its re-use, as well as the architect, landscape designer and contractor.

“We were also very fortunate to receive an incredibly generous anonymous donation for the redevelopment of the property, which the select board gratefully accepted on Aug. 3, 2022,” Goldsmith said. “We thank the donors on behalf of the entire community and hope that they are as pleased as we are with the final project.”

The lot offers paid parking for visitors and free parking for residents with valid town stickers. Chatham Valet also offers a shuttle service serving all of downtown, the fish pier and Lighthouse Beach.

Schiff said his committee worked steadfastly and heard from many different stakeholders, including residents from the Old Village, summer visitors, and members of various town boards and committees. Some of those stakeholders had conflicting interests, which made finding consensus challenging at times.

“The secret is group decision making in terms of organization, transparency, and keeping our eyes on what the objectives are so that we kept focused,” he said. “We listened and did our best.”

While the initial goal was to have the facility open by the start of the summer season, “better late than never,” Schiff said. “Everybody’s going to really enjoy this.” Schiff said the facility also provides a good boost to businesses on the east end of Main Street, which have historically struggled to attract foot traffic.

“Over the next few weeks, we’ll get the final landscaping done and things will really take shape,” Community Development Director Katie Donovan said. Inside, there will be photos or sign boards that describe the history of the site and the role of the Eldredge family in transportation. Work on those elements will take place in the fall, she said. The EV charging stations are due to be complete by September but may actually be ready next month, she added.

The select board initially argued that the property was too pricey for the town to buy, and board members expressed concern about acquiring land that might be contaminated after years of use as a service station. They changed their position after a group of business owners and residents, led by the Oppenheims, stepped in and negotiated a purchase and sales agreement with the Eldredge family. The group provided financing and guidance to help the family undertake an environmental assessment that ultimately showed no major contamination. David Oppenheim said he and others felt the property should be saved from intensive private development. In January 2017, the select board brought the proposal to a special town meeting, which overwhelmingly approved the $2.5 million purchase.