Veteran’s pavilion and signs approved

By CHRIS CONROY

SMALLWOOD, NY — With two rallies for support behind it, the proposed veterans’ pavilion and signage at the 17B Quickstop Citgo station were approved at the June 10 meeting of the Town of Bethel Planning Board.

Paul Zaccari, the owner of the Quickstop, had previously been before the board in a public hearing regarding the proposal to build the pavilion and get proper approval for signs that had been erected on the property. During that hearing, concerns over trucks parked on the Quickstop property and the look of the signs led to a postponement of a decision.

That postponement, in turn, created a public outcry of support for the veterans’ pavilion project. Two Sunday morning rallies were held in front of the Quickstop to raise awareness of the pavilion project and the delay it was experiencing.

The trucks, Zaccari explained, were only being parked on the property temporarily while the company that owned them completed work nearby. Zaccari assured the board this was a one-time, economically based decision that would not happen again. He also provided the extra details about the design of the signs as the board had requested.

When suggesting to the board that the proposal be approved, Shepstone noted that the issue was “our opportunity to talk to Paul and we had a conversation with him and some good results.”