After 30 years, Pratt buys Dundee property

DUNDEE--After leasing space for his business the last 30 years, Tom Pratt, Jr. is now the official owner of the corner property at 1 Millard St. in Dundee. The owner of Tom Pratt Automotive said it "feels really good," to finally own the property, which he purchased for between $230,000-$240,000. In addition to the business, he also owns the white house adjacent to it, which he is in the process of cleaning up and improving.
"We started work the day we bought it," Pratt said, noting they have done mostly cosmetic work to the building's exterior. The purchase became official some four weeks ago. He said he has had his employees from the shop working on the building.
Most of the work done has included the painting of the exterior, but Pratt said they also had to cut out part of the front porch and replace it due to water damage. In total, Pratt said they have put nearly $10,000 into the house repairs.
One of the reasons Pratt wanted to clean up the property was to make it a better entranceway for Dundee. He said now when people come into the village, instead of seeing a rundown building, people can look at a freshly painted and repaired house instead.
"We wanted to make it nicer looking for someone driving into the village," Pratt said. "It really upgraded the corner."
Pratt's work should be just about complete on the exterior, which he anticipated having done by the end of last week. An auction was held Saturday, Sept. 17, for some of the items remaining in the building. Pratt said once the auction is done, he can go inside and see what else he wants to do with the building.
Pratt said he has some ideas for what he would like to use the building for, but has not settled on anything yet. He added he would entertain ideas from other people as well if they were interested.