Work has begun at Amazon site
By Erik Pekar
Just outside the village of Granville, there are signs of activity at the former Manchester Wood factory at 1159 County Route 24. Barriers have been placed in the driveways, and work is happening in and near the building. Soon, the building will be renovated into a package distribution center for Amazon, an online retailer.
The plans for the facility were submitted to the town planning board in late June. Although there was no official mention of the firm that would occupy the building, or announcement from any firm, rumors soon spread that it could be Amazon. The plans were first publicly shown and examined by the planning board at their meeting of July 26. A large crowd was in attendance, partly aided by the Amazon rumors, and by a front-page article on the submission in the July 7 issue of the Sentinel.
The plans were described by a representative of the Kimley-Horn architectural firm, which was contracted by the company seeking to use the building. The existing building will be renovated, and old additions and adjoining structures removed. The present two driveways, with access to loading docks and parking for employees, will be completely overhauled. In their place would be four access points. Starting at the north, the truck driver delivery entrance will be first, followed by the entrance to the new employee parking lot, then an entrance and exit for local delivery vehicles.
The truck drivers’ routes will take them through Middle Granville, instead of North Street and through the village. The delivery vehicles will be scheduled to leave midday and be back by night. There was some concern about an increase in traffic, but the Kimley-Horn rep noted that a traffic study had been done that found there would be no substantial changes to traffic patterns.
Regarding the identity, the representative said that they did not know, but that one party would own the building and would lease it to another party. No approval was made at the July meeting, as more information was needed, and Washington County code approval was also needed for an application of this scale.
At the Aug. 23 planning board meeting, the public hearing was held for the application. Three Granville residents spoke, all in favor of the proposed facility. On advice of the planning board, the plans for the employee parking lot were changed to have more trees. No announcement was made regarding the identity of the leasing firm.
The Sept. 26 planning board meeting was when the firm’s identity was revealed to be Amazon. Glendowlyn Thames, of the Amazon economic development team, described the facility as a “last mile delivery station ... [the] last stop before packages arrive at the house.” The deliveries from the larger Amazon warehouses, called “fulfillment centers,” would occur between 6 and 11 a.m.; delivery to homes would peak between 4 and 6 p.m.
The facility is estimated to employ up to 200 employees, both part time and full time, including associates and managers. Employment of that scale would place Amazon in the top five employers in Granville. Some benefits were also touted at the meeting. The facility is estimated to be ready next summer. Construction for turning the former factory into the package distribution center is anticipated to begin this December.
To some, the choice of Granville may seem odd, and planning board member John “Hector” Norton wondered, “Why Granville?” Thames responded that Amazon is “customer-obsessed” and that “where our customers are, we want to be closer to them.” She also noted that the Amazon planners considered Granville a “unique rural community.” The planning board approved the application.
Community reaction to this development has been generally positive. Many locals have expressed congratulations and thanks, and happiness of forthcoming jobs in Granville. Area business owners have also been supportive, noting the new jobs and hoping that the workers will patronize and frequent local businesses.
Local officials have not given statements, with the exception of Paul Labas, Granville village mayor. In an announcement posted the night of the application approval, Labas said, “Congrats to the town planning board, town supervisor Matt Hicks, and to the village board and DPW for our local upgrades to water and sewer infrastructure that helped to bring this ball across the goal line.” Labas is particularly pleased and optimistic for the Amazon development. He closed his statement by saying, “thank you for your support, and congratulations to us all on this historic event for Granville.”
While most reaction to the Amazon facility has been positive, some have voiced concerns. One is whether or not Amazon will actually finish building the facility or abandon it before completion. Another is whether local roads and bridges, such as the Middle Granville bridge, will be negatively impacted by the increase in traffic resulting from the new facility. Others have concerns about the job quality, including wages and the work environment; some Amazon facilities have become infamous for bad working conditions that are not good for employees. In addition, the facility may have a negative impact on local businesses, as it would make it easier for Amazon to compete against merchants in the Granville area.
While congratulations are warranted to Granville on the official announcement and approval, as the saying goes, one should make sure their ducks are all in a row. Amazon has to renovate the property - building, parking lots, and all - to turn it into a package distribution center and hire and train the employees.
It is too early to tell what impact the opening of Amazon’s facility will have on the Granville area. In any case, it is certain that Amazon has interest in Granville, and activity has already started towards their efforts to build their Granville warehouse. We hope, as many locals do, that the arrival of Amazon next year will be a positive development which will do good for Granville.
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With autumn passing by, time is counting down before the window closes on good weather suitable for road work. Paving projects are still happening in the area. The repaving of Route 4 from Comstock to Whitehall is progressing well; the main layers have been paved. County Route 21 from East Whitehall south to the Hampton town line has recently been repaved. Several culverts were replaced last year on this stretch of highway. With the repaving this year, the road in this section is smooth and the bumps from the cut strips are gone.
After over a year, the Church Street bridge replacement project is close to completion. The street was reduced to one lane for milling on Oct. 11 and was closed for milling and paving from Oct. 12 to 14. The bridge reopened, fully paved, by noon on Oct. 14; the Water Street connection opened later that day. The bumps at the drains on the southbound lanes are gone, the new pavement being level with the drain grates.
The workers from the J. H. Maloy company then drove around the village and took down the detour signs that were installed back in June of last year. The Granville community is thankful that the new Church Street bridge is practically finished.
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