Save The Barns: Why RG&E’s Upgrade On Canfield Road Shouldn’t Undermine Mendon’s Rural Heritage

In the last few years, I’ve perused old texts covering the Town of Mendon. I find the words useful for research. The pictures, however, captivate me. They allow me to effortlessly go back in time and immerse myself in the bucolic beauty of the town I call home. It’s like a time machine. Diving into those pictures gives me the feeling of tranquil bliss.

I didn’t know about these historic books thirty-odd years ago when I served on the Mendon Town Board. No doubt others, wiser than me, did. Despite my naivete, I played a role (albeit a minor one) in realizing a modern-day homage to those pleasant nineteenth century illustrations.

And you can experience the fruits of that realization every time you drive down Route 64 from Pittsford into the Town of Mendon. Just north of the Thruway bridge, look to the west on Canfield Road. You’ll see a peaceful array of agricultural buildings straight out of the late 1800s. As you pass it, if you think about it at all, you think, “That’s so… appropriate.”

Now, imagine that same spot occupied by an industrial eyesore of steel pipes and smokestacks oozing white clouds. Very shortly, if RG&E gets its way, that’s what you’ll see. As part of its upgrade project, the energy company hopes to strip away forever the barn façade and reveal the hulking gas transfer station concealed within it.

Which version of Mendon do you prefer: the iconic picture of the late 19^th century agricultural age or the grim visage of the early 20^th century industrial age?

It took a lot of work to gain that first view. To give you a sense of that effort, let’s look back to the July 29, 1993 edition of the Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel. At the top of page one, across all columns, ran the banner headline “Empire and RG&E hide in Mendon barns.” The space beneath it featured an artist’s rendition of the proposed Empire State Pipeline gas transfer station cloaked in the rendition of a typical 19^th century agricultural scene reminiscent of early Mendon. It looked very nearly like something you’d find in the old history books describing the Town. The text beneath the picture read:

“Look, right near the thruway, it’s a house, it’s a farm. No, it’s a natural gas metering station! The Town of Mendon on Monday agreed to withdraw a legal action in the state supreme court against Empire State Pipeline and RG&E, who will construct the metering station. Instead, all the parties consented to resolve past disagreements regarding siting and construction of the facility. As a result, some of the planning board’s fondest dreams are coming true. Although the planning board preferred relocation of the facility, Empire and RG&E have agreed to cloak their burners, stacks and other equipment in farm buildings, as portrayed in the above artistic rendering, to blend in with the local agricultural flavor. Empire has also agreed to donate to the town 10 acres of land on the site fronting Canfield Road. The remaining 9.8 acres will be used for the pipeline facilities.”

Led by the Mendon Planning Board, this was a long-fought battle between the Town and RG&E. The Town Board had to play hardball to get what the residents they represented wanted. Their success was well received. Joanna S. McCarthy, at the time a resident of Pittsford whose property line was the Mendon-Pittsford Town Line, was enthusiastic about covering the gas transfer station with the classic barns. Her letter to the editor was published in the September 16, 1993, issue of the Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel:

“I would like to commend Jeanne Loberg and the Mendon Planning Board for their promptness and objectivity in dealing with the matter of the gas transfer station now under construction at Route 64 and Canfield Road…  the actual disguise of the transfer station will be as thorough and attractive as the representation. Mendon is a beautiful town and deserves better than an ugly commercial structure at a main gateway to the town.”

Mendon has always identified as a picturesque, historic, agricultural community. Its residents, then as in now, valued maintaining historical aesthetics. These immeasurable qualities contribute to community pride, property values, and quality of life. The intent of Town officials in 1993 was not simply to mask an ugly structure, but to preserve Mendon’s agricultural heritage. We wanted placid farms, not naked steel.

This feeling has not changed today. RG&E’s reported plan to not rebuild the barn covering the soon-to-be revamped gas transfer station threatens the delightful appeal and character of Mendon. Allowing RG&E to go against the spirit (if not the letter) of the original agreement has precedent-setting implications. It risks opening the door for more industrial structures across our rural landscape.

And this isn’t just Mendon’s fight. Our neighbors to the north—the Town of Pittsford—have chimed in, too.

You now have the opportunity to join them and others. Let your own voice be heard during the Wednesday, April 2, 2025, public hearing at Mendon Town Hall, beginning at 7 PM. This is your chance to share your concerns, protect the Town’s character, and stress the importance of community involvement. History shows Mendon can sway RG&E when the community collectively speaks up.

This also offers us a chance to thank those who helped build and preserve Mendon’s rural charm. In supporting Save The Barns, we not only give a nod to those early pioneers of Mendon whose ethic built the first farms, but to those in 1993 who took on a giant outside corporation—and won!

We can’t allow that victory to unravel now. It is small aesthetic decisions like this that shape a town’s future for generations. Or, for those who prefer a historic quip, I’ll quote Winston Churchill, who said in a speech before the House of Lords on October 28, 1943:

“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”