BY STACI WILSON

The public got its first look Saturday at the recently renovated Tannery Place in Montrose.

Building owner Joe Hunt and current tenants Leatherstocking Gas Company, CareNet, and WIC, a division of NEPA Community Health Care, welcomed a stream of visitors to the multi-occupant building on South Main Street, the former site of the Montrose Publishing Company.

Hunt said that after purchasing the

building next door for his business, he became aware the neighboring building was also available. Hunt said he saw potential for it as a multi-tenant facility.

But without tenants, the idea wasn’t feasible, Hunt said. Then, WIC expressed interest in bringing its offices back to Montrose; and CareNet was also looking to relocate. “That was the stimulus to move forward,” Hunt said.

In the past few months, the building has undergone a transformation of its façade on the eastern face of the building, as well as changes to its interior.

Hunt said designers made use of the existing openings and doorways as much as possible.

But those weren’t the only things repurposed in the project. The wainscoting that lines the hallway came from the interior of the barn that used to sit behind the building; and salvaged barn beams that were discovered were used in the south parking lot entryway.

A vintage piece of hand-made ironwork is located inside the South Main Street entrance, which was salvaged from one of the two buildings that were demolished for the construction project.

The open house celebrated the first phase of the project. Phase II includes additional interior renovations that will bring a NEPA Community Health Care medical clinic to the facility, as well as a kitchen and eat-in area.

Mary Wetherall, of NEPA Community Health, said the facility will focus on women and children’s health, as well as behavioral health. Future plans for the facility also call for the addition of a birthing center.
Wetherall said, “The opportunity is not just for expanded access to health care, but also for sustainable jobs.”