Multiple projects under way

#Middlebury

Middlebury’s new Brookside Memorial Funeral Home appears complete as far as the exterior is concerned.

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Construction and renovation projects under way in Middlebury include Brookside Memorial Funeral Home on Benson Road, a new office building at 819 Straits Turnpike and a banquet facility inside the building that formerly housed Middlebury Consignment at 1365 Whittemore Road.

We called Penny Albini to ask when the funeral home will open, and she said they hope to open by the end of May. She said a few odds and ends need to be done inside the building before it can be thoroughly cleaned and the furniture and other inventory moved in. Outside, there is landscaping to finish. And then everything will be ready.

The 8,000-square-foot building has two carports, two parlors, administrative offices, bathrooms and a crematorium. Parking for 100 cars is included, along with space for a possible 2,000-square-foot expansion. A crematory garden for onsite burial is planned for four or five years in the future. It will be designed by a landscape firm familiar with such designs.

Land at 819 Straits Turnpike is being cleared at the site of a new office building. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the building should be complete towards the end of 2018.
(Marjorie Needham photos)

Robert LaFlamme of Pomeroy Enterprises said he expects construction of his new 12,000-square-foot office building will likely begin in August and be completed roughly three months later. He said the single-story building would house a mix of office, medical and light retail tenants.

LaFlamme said of Middlebury’s project approval process, “It was a pleasure getting it approved. It flew right through. All the boards were helpful.”

He said the building designed by architect Al Kuncas of Kuncas Associates LLC is meant to maintain the look established by the beautiful Garrett Moore building next to Exit 17 off I-84. He noted the area is ideal for today’s busy folks with its easy access to I-84. People can exit the highway, take care of their business and then get right back on the highway and continue on their way.

The new banquet facility has been on the agenda of various boards and commissions in town. It appears to be part of an overall plan that began when Middlebury Consignment purchased the former Golden Age of Trucking Museum on Southford Road. Overflow consignment items initially were moved to the former museum; then everything was moved there, and television ads began running that welcomed customers to Middlebury Consignment’s new home at 1067 Southford Road.

Meanwhile, back at its original Whittemore Road location, the Cafe at Whittemore Crossing remained in operation while plans for a banquet facility at that location made their way through the various town boards and commissions. Events coordinator Dorie LaFlamme (no relation to Robert LaFlamme) said the banquet facilities will occupy two floors and offer two spaces, one accommodating groups of 40 to 50 and the other accommodating up to 178 people. The larger space will include a dance floor.

LaFlamme said the gift shop remains on the lowest level, and the Cafe at Whittemore crossing will be converted to a restaurant named “The Vyne.” She said she is taking reservations for the banquet facilities starting in August of this year.