Rotterdam Junction, a little hamlet in the western part of the town, has been receiving some attention lately because the Schenectady County Historical Society is planning to purchase 27 acres next to the Mabee Farm.
The society plans to build an educational welcome center called the George E. Franchere Center. Franchere was a Mabee descendant who set up a trust to financially support the Mabee Farm once it was turned over to the historical society.
President of the historical hociety Edwin Reilly Jr. said the Franchere Center has been planned for almost a decade. He hopes to break ground this summer. The center is expected to cost about $1 million to construct.
The Mabees were the first family in Rotterdam, and the farm dates back to the mid-1600s. It was sold to a Mabee in 1706 and was passed through the family for 287 years.
The historical society is a 501(c)(3) organization, which means it is exempt from paying property taxes, so the town won’t benefit in that manner, but the society pays a small amount of taxes to the town for the fire and water district.
Reilly said the main benefit this project will have and the Mabee Farm already has is it brings people into the county from other places.
`Hopefully we will bring more people into the town, which will help to boost the economic vitality of Rotterdam Junction,` Reilly said.
Mabee Farm site manager Pat Barrot said people come from across the country and some from other countries to visit the farm, which is only open from May through September.
Supervisor Steven Tommasone said any development in this area is a positive thing for the town. Tommasone and other town officials have been actively trying to revitalize the area that sits on the banks of the Mohawk River.
`We are looking at every opportunity to enhance the area,` Tommasone said. `I support their [the historical society’s] efforts wholeheartedly.`
Tommasone said the town has applied for a state grant worth more than $100,000 to assist in the growth of the area. The various amenities including the river, the canal and more than 70 acres of town-owned land, including a large body of water, gives the area many possibilities for growth.
`We are looking at the junction as a beautiful piece of property along the river with enormous potential,` Tommasone said.
The town’s plan is to revitalize the area, but it does need a lot of work including infrastructure to entice businesses and people to live, work and play in the area.
`We have so many opportunities to utilize the canal and river and Route 5S appropriately to attract new business and help the businesses that are already there,` Tommasone said.
The supervisor said he envisions new business, more people and the possibility for park land to allow people to picnic with their families or jog along the river, maybe even row a boat.
`When I think about that whole area I get excited,` he said.
Tommasone said he is excited about the historical society’s plans because he views it as one more thing that will help attract people into the area.
`It is an opportunity for the town to attract people from outside the area to come and discover the Mabee House and the land along the river,` Tom-masone said. “