Work is set to begin this month to refurbish and modernize the notoriously bad commuter rail "station" in Uphams Corner. The elevated platform that hovers menancingly above Dudley recalls the blight and despair of 1970s Dorchester, a time when leaders perhaps thought we city folk were content to take whatever we were given.

Today's Uphams Corner is a far different place. Investment from the city, state and private sources is making a difference. Over at the MBTA, finally, there is an administration that has heard the cries of activists to invest in the Fairmount commuter rail line. The $6 million renovation is a welcome and wise investment in state funds. The promise of further expansion elsewhere on the commuter rail corridor will likewise be an overdue, but nonetheless, important decision.

In Uphams Corner, however, a key piece of the puzzle remains left out. The Leon Electric building, an empty warehouse which dominates the corner of Humphrey and Dudley Street, hulks over the Fairmount platform in a most uninviting way. For years, city and neighborhood leaders and the local community development corporation have attempted to begin a dialogue with the property's owner, Arthur Leon, hoping that he would agree to make his building a functioning part of this community again. The opportunity is clearly there for Leon - who has owned the building for the last three decades- to either launch his own private effort to revitalize the block or to partner with non-profit community groups who are eager to resolve this "missing link."

Leon, who runs two businesses in the South End, is said to be a pleasant fellow, someone who has tapped into city resources to help beautify his properties along Washington Street. It is unfortunate that Leon seems to not understand- or care- that his Uphams Corner property is a hindrance to the further rebirth of this fragile section of our community.

While making plans for the new-and-improved MBTA station, T planners say they approached Leon with ideas about how they might incorporate the building into the project. Their overtures were unsuccessful. That's too bad. The renovation of the station marks an ideal time for the redevelopment of Leon's property and its omission is a missed opportunity for both Leon and the community.

Senator Jack Hart and Department of Neighborhood Development director Charlotte Golar Richie both said last week that they intend to try to renew talks with Leon to make something happen. Such an initiative should be encouraged.

Private ownership of buildings is something that is and must be respected. However, in the same vein, responsible stewardship of properties such as the intergral and potentially transformative Leon Electric building is everyone's business. Let us hope that a coalition of interested parties in Uphams Corner will continue their efforts to prioritize this pivotal piece in the recovery of this key Dorchester business district.

- Ed Forry