A concerted attempt to keep the gas station in local hands and true to its original spirit failed several years ago, as has been reported here previously, not due to any lack of will, but instead to a mountain of insurmountable obstacles posed by local and state regulations. In the two and a half years since then, new, unnamed owners took possession of the building. Left unattended and vacant, its windows and doors were broken and left open, support beams faltered and graffiti was painted on the walls. Unbeknownst to neighbors, at a July 2008 H.A.B.R. meeting, based on an engineer's report, the anonymous owners were given permission to demolish the building.

The community learned about this in late September and an e-mail was circulated on September 27 informing many in the community of this plan. That weekend, concerned community members e-mailed Thom Kleiner and Burton Dorfman, Esq. of the law firm Dorfman, Lynch & Knoebel, in Nyack, who represents the owners, imploring them to reconsider demolishing the building.

On September 29, I met with Thom Kleiner and John Giardello on site, to review the plans, which stated that only two walls were to come down to incorporate an addition to the building. Later that day, Mr. Kleiner contacted me to say that he was mistaken; there had been an approval to demolish the building. The next day, on September 30, at 7:00 a.m., the old gas station was demolished and the property leveled.

On October 1, the 10964 Newsletter posted a letter from Mr. Dorfman on its website that stated that the building could not be saved and that the new building would conform to approved architectural plans for an organic farm stand. Three days later, about 40 community members met with Mr. Kleiner with many questions; some specific to the gas station and some general as to protection of old buildings and controlling development in Palisades. Mr. Kleiner stated that he would have the construction watched closely. Meanwhile the second, smaller building has been left open to the elements with its windows and doors broken, and no attempt to seal it up to protect it. It has also been moved, ignoring a directive from the 2006 H.A.B.R. meeting not to move it for fear it may fall apart.

The community of Palisades waits to see if the nameless developers of the site will be true to their word and build a modern replica of the historic site and have it serve the community with an organic farm stand and restaurant. We must all be vigilant to preserve those charming buildings, landscapes and wild land that drew us all to this unique place. It is all of our responsibility to ensure that Palisades does not lose its unique identity and become just another suburb of McMansions and leveled ground.