Time runs out for Bourne information booth - what will become of the historic shed?

Mary Gilmetti-Gendron was watching Bourne Community Television last spring when Carl Georgeson, chair of the Bourne Historical Commission, appeared on the screen and said a former tourism information booth needed a new home.

"I grew up seeing the booth on the Bourne Bridge," said Gilmetti-Gendron, manager of the Aptucxet Veterans of Foreign Wars, or VFW, Post 5988. "It triggered some nostalgia and I wanted to step up and help."

Controversy surrounded the booth when Cumberland Farms pulled demolition permits for the roughly 114-year-old structure on Nov. 14 to make way for the construction of a gas station and convenience store at the Bourne Rotary. In an effort to preserve the booth, the Historical Commission issued a demolition delay in January, which halted the booth's destruction. At the time, Gilmetti-Gendron said the VFW would move the structure to its Bourne property and voters approved $45,000 to go toward the booth's transport and restoration at the annual town meeting.

Members of the community, including Jack MacDonald, a former commission member and local historian, were fighting to save the booth through multiple efforts and were gathering signatures from community members who also wanted to preserve the structure.

Unfortunately, said McDonald of Pocasset, the demolition delay expired Sept. 27 and the booth continues to languish at the rotary.

"Cumberland Farms held up their end of the deal. They didn't tear it down," said McDonald. "But they could apply for a permit tomorrow, get it, and tear it down next week if they want to."

Can Cumberland Farms move to demolish the booth?

Ken Murphy, inspector of buildings for the town, confirmed that demolition delay's expiration, but said no permits have been pulled by Cumberland Farms to destroy the structure.

"Cumberland Farms does have a right to but they want to work with the potential owners of the booth," said Murphy.

Cumberland Farms representatives didn't return calls and emails sent by the Times for comment. Doug Troyer, an attorney who previously represented Cumberland Farms, is no longer with his firm and couldn't be reached for comment.

According to Murphy, the VFW is still planning to re-home the booth. But Gilmetti-Gendron needs to update the town Planning Board on what the booth will be used for, and apply for a property zoning change if the structure will be used for commercial purposes, said Murphy by phone Friday.

"We are not sure what they are going to do with the booth," said Murphy. "But we are hoping this can eventually all work out."

For McDonald, VFW organizers should have applied for a zoning change the moment they decided to re-home the booth.

"My concern is that it’s not even a sure thing that they can move the information booth to the VFW," he said. "They still have to go through a building inspector, planning and zoning department for a review because of zoning requirements."

What is the delay?

At an Oct. 10 Historical Commission meeting, McDonald said the board discussed the booth and said there were complications surrounding the out-of-state building mover.

"They (the board members) were not entertaining questions or comments from the public so that was that," said McDonald.

Georgeson, chair of the board, declined to answer questions in an email sent to the Times and said a person in charge of the booth would reach out to comment. No one from the board reached out to the Times as of Monday.

While Gilmetti-Gendron admits that it took longer than expected to move the booth, she said Cumberland Farms representatives verbally granted the VFW a time extension to move the structure from the Bourne Rotary to VFW property. She also filed a zoning application change Monday, Oct. 16, she said.

Hiring a company to physically move the booth has also been difficult, said Gilmetti-Gendron Friday by phone. There were unanticipated delays, she said, when the person in charge of the move unexpectedly retired. The VFW will now need to find an alternative business to move the booth.

The move will cost roughly $15,000, she said. The remaining $30,000 will be used to restore and refurbish the booth.

"We want to save it," she said. "We stepped up and said we will take it and we will."

What will the VFW do with the booth?

Gilmetti-Gendron said community members can look forward to frequenting the booth as a thrift shop. The quaint space will be open to retired and active veterans and community members.

"Veterans can come to the store and get whatever they need free of charge," she said.

The VFW will also accept donations of clothing and small furniture. Any proceeds from thrift store sales will go toward helping those in the community who need it, she said.

The booth was a ticket agency office at the Buzzards Bay train yard in 1909, according to McDonald, and served as a tourism information booth for the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce beginning in 1928. This is the first time the booth will serve as a thrift shop, said Gilmetti-Gendron. And the first time a VFW on the Cape will have a thrift shop on site.

The booth also has a twin — a structure that once sat at the base of the Sagamore Bridge. That booth is now used as a gift shop at the Aptuxet Trading Post in Bourne.

"We are trying to get back into helping the whole community," said Gilmetti-Gendron. "In past years, we did a lot in the way of donations to the food pantry. That stopped during the pandemic but I know the thrift shop can help those in hard situations once again."

While Gilmetti-Gendron said it will take time to get the thrift shop up and running, the VFW board and volunteers are excited for its debut.

"We aren't just an old guy's bar," she said. "We are making an effort to reach out to younger families and do things for the whole community."

Rachael Devaney writes about community and culture. Reach her at rdevaney@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RachaelDevaney.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Will Cumberland Farms demolish historic tourism info booth in Bourne?