AUBURN听鈥 Thirteen downtown Auburn projects were announced as winners Tuesday of听the state's $10 million听Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant听鈥 a program designed to boost downtown development.听
A year ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo came to Auburn to announce the city as the 2018 central New York winner of the grant. Tuesday it was Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul's turn to stop by "History's Hometown," as she announced each winning project at Auburn Public Theater.
Through months of meetings and public workshops, an initial list of 29 projects seeking a portion of the $10 million pot was narrowed down to 18 by the DRI Local Planning Committee. In March, that list was sent to the state to further trim the number of grant contenders.听
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While Tuesday was a joyful day for developers of winning projects in the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative program, it was disappoint…
Here's a list of the winning projects and how much funding they received:听
鈥 West End Arts Campus: $1.9 million. Sponsored by the Schweinfurth Art Center and the Cayuga Museum, this project will develop the two properties into an arts campus that would create a west-end gateway to the rest of downtown.
鈥 Shared Public Services Facility: $1.2 million. Backed by the city and Cayuga County, this project will relocate the Auburn Fire Department to a complex on Seminary Street that would also offer space for certain county agencies. An emergency operations center and management office would also be housed here.
鈥 State Street Event Plaza: $1 million.听This city-supported project would transform a vacant lot into a public gathering area where community activities could be held.听
鈥 Nick's Ride 4 Friends: $940,000. Supported by Nick's Ride 4 Friends, this project will听rehabilitate a vacant structure at 13 Chapel St. for the nonprofit's use.听
鈥 Seward House Museum: $864,000. With this funding, the Seward House Museum will rehabilitate its deteriorating carriage house and barn.听
鈥 Cayuga Community College Culinary Center: $800,000.听The Cayuga Community College-sponsored project will convert a space in the Plaza of the Arts building into a culinary school. The project will create a new culinary program for the college.
鈥 Auburn Public Theater: $700,000. The Auburn Public Theater plans to expand operations by opening a new caf茅, creating a new black box theater space and establishing an Auburn Music Hall of Fame.听
鈥 22 E. Genesee St.: $625,000. R&M Real Estate Group sponsored this project that will transform a vacant building into a mixed-used one with retail space on the lower floor and residential space above.听
鈥 Small project grant fund: $600,000. Auburn small businesses or organizations will be able to apply for funding through this small grant fund.听
鈥 Health Central: $385,000. Health Central will establish behavioral听health services and renovate its Garden Street facility.听
鈥 Avenue of the Arts: $285,000. Public art such as sculptures, murals and banners will be placed throughout the downtown core. This project was sponsored by the Downtown Auburn Business Improvement District.听
鈥 Willard Memorial Chapel: $267,000. Sponsored by the Community Preservation Committee, this project at the chapel will entail window replacements and site adjustments to improve visitor experience.听
鈥 99 Genesee St.: $173,000. Schulz Properties Inc. sponsored this project to rehabilitate听an existing building to establish retail space on the lower level and residential on the upper level.
Gallery: Auburn's Downtown Revitalization Initiative recipient announcement
Downtown Revitalization Initiative 1
New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, center, announced 13 downtown Auburn projects will receive funding through the state's听Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, at Auburn Public Theater.听
Dan OrzechowskiDowntown Revitalization Initiative 2
Auburn Mayor Micheal Quill speaks after the recipients of the state's听Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant were announced Tuesday at Auburn Public Theater.听
Dan OrzechowskiDowntown Revitalization Initiative 3
Auburn City Councilors Jimmy Giannettino and Dia Carabajal listen as recipients of the听Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant were announced Tuesday at Auburn Public Theater.听
Dan OrzechowskiDowntown Revitalization Initiative 4
Senator Pam Helming congratulates Auburn at the Auburn Public Theater Tuesday after a list of projects receiving听Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding was announced.听
Dan OrzechowskiDowntown Revitalization Initiative 5
New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks with Lon Fricano, Director of Operations at Auburn City Ambulance after Tuesday's听Downtown Revitalization Initiative announcement.听
Dan OrzechowskiDowntown Revitalization Initiative
New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul names 13 downtown Auburn projects that will be receiving funding through the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant program.听
Dan Orzechowski听
Inside the projects up for Auburn's $10M grant
- Kelly Rocheleau
AUBURN听鈥 Dan Soules was all smiles and excited hand gestures while talking recenly about the culinary center Cayuga Community College is developing in Auburn.
CCC is working on a facility to help students learn the skills to succeed in the culinary industry at the Auburn-based Plaza of the Arts, which is owned by Soules & Dunn Development Group, where Soules is a partner. The college has set up a 10-year lease at $80,000 per year to use around 9,000 square feet of the plaza, including its outside space, with an eye on a fall 2020 opening. An enrollment of 12-15 students is planned for the first year.
The Genesee Street building has housed multiple restaurants over the years 鈥 most recently the burger restaurant Patty Shack, which closed in August 2018.
Soules, Soules & Dunn's director of real estate development Steve Ansteth, CCC's humanities division Chair Steve Keeler and adjunct college professor Mark Fitzgerald sat down with 新加坡多多开奖记录 at the plaza earlier this month to talk about the project.听
Soules said the development group will also help CCC with the design and construction implementation of the center, adding that he believes it could bring flocks of people downtown. He said he sees the city's downtown area as "the perfect place to tie the community college into the community."
Keeler said a part of preparing the facility for fall 2020 is contingent on funding from the Auburn's听, where the state has carved out $10 million in potential funding toward projects within downtown.听The culinary center was identified as a priority project for the city by the local committee that forwarded a plan to the state at the end of March. CCC was requesting $800,000 in DRI funding with a total project cost of $1,250,000.
Keeler said CCC's vision for the building includes a training facility, a demonstration kitchen for community events, and space for students to practice that would sometimes be open to the public. The facility's starting classes are set to include basic cooking methods and safety and sanitation.
In addition to teaching students how to be chefs during the day, Keeler said, CCC wants the center to engage with the community, with possibilities such as one-off cooking classes for community members at night and bringing in the college's additional programming downtown with music, theater and art events. He emphasized that the center will not be a catering company or a restaurant.听 In the future, with expansion and additional staff, the center could look into possible options such as a "retail-type cafe," a test kitchen where people can create recipes and a community kitchen where people could make products to sell, he said.
"We build a good, solid culinary training program first, and then we look at what growth there is or is available to us," Keeler said.
Fitzgerald, a chef and culinary arts teacher at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, is overseeing the culinary elements of CCC's program and also consulting on the facility's design. Fitzgerald said he wants students to have a modern culinary education that will allow them to find employment. He and Soules said mentoring, developing leadership skills and learning how the culinary business works are all crucial elements of the field.
Fitzgerald said he doesn't believe other local culinary institutes will be able to offer what CCC's facility will. He said traditional programs across the country have seen attendance drop as they try to find ways to bring in modern students.
"For CCC to be in the position where they are to start a culinary program in a suffocated culinary market nationwide is a huge, huge thing," he said.
Keeler said he feels the center opens CCC to multiple possibilities.
"We're not just talking culinary in this facility, although that's obviously the great centerpiece of it," he said. "To be able to use what surrounds this faculty to bring other kinds of programming downtown, it's just such a great opportunity for us to become a better part of this community."
- David Wilcox
Those with projects up for pieces of Auburn's $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant are waiting to see how the money is spent with nothing short of anticipation.
In the case of the Seward House Museum, though, it's more like urgency.听
The Auburn museum has four projects on the table of the grant's Local Planning Committee, which will ultimately submit a spending plan to the state in March. But one of those projects has been given priority above the others: the rehabilitation of the museum's barn and carriage house, which sit behind the 1816 home, opposite the YMCA across William Street.
Museum Facilities Manager Mitch Maniccia said Friday that the project was prioritized after conversations with the committee and consultant Bergmann Associates. That's partly because rehabilitating the structures would serve the DRI mission of transforming that area of downtown. The project would also support the "This Place Matters" theme of Auburn's spending plan, Maniccia added.
But the major reason rehabilitating the two buildings has been prioritized is because they simply can't wait much longer, Maniccia said. The museum commissioned a building condition report on them in 2018, and the diagnosis was bleak, he continued. Without immediately addressing its foundation issues, among others, "we'd lose two very important historic resources," Maniccia said.
"They'd be unsalvageable," he said. "It would be too costly for significant repairs and we'd have to start from scratch."
The barn and carriage house replaced a barn that was burned down by an arsonist protesting William H. Seward's 1860 presidential campaign, Maniccia said. Frederick, the middle son of the former New York governor and secretary of state, then designed the two buildings. Though Frederick would follow his father to a career in politics, serving as assistant secretary of state and later in the New York State Assembly, he was also an aspiring architect. Maniccia said the museum's archives include his original hand-drawn blueprints and a letter to his mother, Frances, explaining them.
Though one can see work done to the barn and carriage house in the 1870s, 1890s and, most recently, the early 20th century, the structures haven't been touched since, Maniccia said. Today, he keeps the lawnmower inside. But with assistance from the DRI grant, the museum hopes to make use of the new 3,000 square feet of space. The first floor of the barn could have many uses, and the carriage house would become the new home of the carriage Seward was thrown from in April 1865, a week before the attempt on his life. (The jaw brace he wore as a result of the accident is credited with saving him from assailant Lewis Powell.) The carriage currently sits in the museum's woodshed, but it would be more accessible and featured in the carriage house, Maniccia said.
If work on the structures begins in 2020, he said, the project will cost a total of $1,232,000. The museum is seeking $860,000 from the DRI grant and will explore state funding to cover the rest.
Maniccia said public support for rehabilitating the barn and carriage house has risen since the museum has communicated the urgency of the project. He believes that's because it's part of the museum's vision for a new historic campus there, complemented by new neighbor the Equal Rights Heritage Center. And tying into that campus is another project the museum submitted for the Local Planning Committee's consideration: a landscaping effort that would see the South Street property's gardens restored to the "urban oasis" they once were, Maniccia said.
"Through future restoration we could bring those outside spaces back to the 19th-century glory that the Sewards would have recognized," he said.听
The specifics of the landscaping project are subject to a treatment plan that will be complete toward the end of summer, Maniccia said. It will take several years to implement, he added.
The two other projects submitted to the committee include a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for the museum. Like its barn and carriage house, the Seward House's temperature system hasn't been touched in several decades. The space is still heated by 1877 radiators, Maniccia said, and it lacks air conditioning. So not only is the museum chilly in the winter and sweltering in the summer, he continued, but its collection of artwork, documents and other archival materials would benefit from temperature and humidity controls.
Last, the Seward House seeks funding for Seward's Trolley, a vehicle that can circulate to the Cayuga Museum of History & Art, Willard Memorial Chapel and other historic and cultural sites in the area. The brainchild of museum Executive Director Billye Chabot, the trolley 鈥 a play on Alaska nickname "Seward's Folly" 鈥 likely won't happen in the near future, Maniccia said.
"It was always a dream, something we've always wanted to accomplish," he said. "But we have a lot of needs right now."
- Julie Piascik Special to 新加坡多多开奖记录
Some people spend their entire lives searching for a purpose. Joel Campagnola鈥檚 purpose wasn鈥檛 evident until he tragically lost his son, Nick, to opioid addiction. This event spiraled his life in an entirely new direction where he decided to follow his passion to help others who struggle with addiction. As a carpenter, Joel was running a successful business building and renovating homes; he is now dedicating his days, nights and weekends to help people who struggle with addiction. While his future is uncertain, the one element that guides him is hope. H.O.P.E., as Joel says, means 鈥渉ang on, pain ends.鈥
For those of you who know what Nick鈥檚 Ride 4 Friends is, you have likely been touched by someone in your life who has been through the hell of addiction. For those of you who are not aware, Nick鈥檚 Ride is a peer-based recovery organization with the sole purpose of helping those afflicted with addiction. The purpose of Nick鈥檚 Ride is to give the gift of hope back to the people that have become entangled in the disease of addiction. Many who come to 12 South St. have no one left who will try to help them, because sadly, they have burned all their bridges down. For many, Nick鈥檚 Ride is a new beginning with a new support system. Joel and his volunteer staff will work diligently to get people into rehab and follow them through the recovery process, meeting their families and doing whatever they can to ensure a successful recovery and re-entry back into society.
The board of Nick鈥檚 Ride has spent the past year trying to find a bigger building to move into, as Joel鈥檚 current space is too small to introduce any new programming or meeting space. The Bouley family has graciously committed a letter of intent to donate the 13 Chapel St. building to our cause. This donation is contingent upon Nick鈥檚 Ride 4 Friends securing $400,000 to go toward the buildout of this facility. This building is very much a part of Auburn鈥檚 history and it has been vacant for years. It will also need a lot of recovery to become a functioning office space and clubhouse for Nick鈥檚 Ride, which is only interested in one floor of the building, but with a hefty renovation budget. We have a vision and many goals that we would like to share with any donors interested in helping us achieve this very lofty goal: Restoring 13 Chapel St. and building a recovery center to help with a pandemic that is killing over 200 people a day in our country.
Nick鈥檚 Ride has been dependent on the generosity of the Auburn community since it began in 2017, and we will continue to rely on that generosity. The city of Auburn has been very helpful in trying to commit funding to the purchase and renovation of the monastery and we have been urging community support to help get this building into the Downtown Revitalization Initiative for funding. Our county has pledged funding for a peer support center. The people at 2 State St. 鈥 the Cayuga Economic Development Agency and the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce 鈥 have also been very supportive, as has the Allyn Foundation, which has given us guidance in developing our business plan. We can also thank the Cayuga Community Foundation for funding computers for our clubhouse, which are being used daily by people who are taking online classes, and for the running of our organization at 12 South St. But, to carry Joel鈥檚 mission forward, we need donors.
Sometimes, it just takes one person to believe in someone to make a difference. Joel is this one person. He genuinely wears his heart on his sleeve. He truly wants to lift others and get them back on the right path in life 鈥 it is his passion and purpose.
The board of Nick鈥檚 Ride and Joel are hopeful that we can find community businesses and donors to help. We can鈥檛 give up on those who have given up on themselves, and we can鈥檛 give up on hope. On behalf of the board and Joel, thank you for your continued support and please urge those who are struggling with addiction to come to us so that we can help them, too. Hope is an endless commodity that we anticipate giving freely to anyone who needs our help.
- David Wilcox
Todd and Jonathan Borsa have some family history in Auburn's Market Street Park area.
Their great-grandfather, tailor Carmelo Siracusa, once owned the flatiron building at the corner of Market and Genesee streets. Its triangular architecture made it beloved by the community. But in the early 1970s, at the height of the city's urban renewal听efforts, the building was demolished. It's memorialized on a mural a block up Genesee Street, next to Colonial Laundromat.
Now, the Borsas are trying to stop another Market Street building from going in the same direction.
Last November, the brothers bought 55 Market St., which consists of 18 residential units and two commercial ones occupied by Faith Chapel of Auburn. They plan to restore the building, which will cost more than $500,000. But the Borsas could get a boost from Auburn's $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, as 55 Market St. was one of five historic properties included in a Main Street Improvement Program in the city's . As that and other projects are considered by a local committee for submission to the state, the Borsas hope their building makes the cut.
"We've seen the momentum that's taken place over the past 10 years," Todd said Friday. "We want to continue that momentum."
Both born and raised in Auburn, Todd and Jonathan Borsa bought their first property, 17 Park Ave., in 2001, Todd said. But it wasn't until about three years ago that they ramped up their real estate interests, which now tally 11 properties and more than 40 units. Their great-grandfather wasn't their only inspiration: The Borsas' grandfather owned a dress factory across from the Dunn & McCarthy shoe factory, and their father owned about 70 units of his own in the '80s and '90s. So property ownership and management is "kind of in our blood," Todd said.
"We take a lot of pride in keeping well-managed, well-maintained properties," he said. "We enjoy working with people, and working with them as customers."
The Borsas almost doubled their number of units when they bought 55 Market St. Todd called it "a really cool building," and has been researching its history. Built shortly after the Civil War, the building was the Brunswick Hotel and then the Curtain Hotel until 1962. The next year, Ray Riordan bought the building and opened Riordan's Restaurant, which also served as an unofficial headquarters for the local Democratic Party. In 1980, the building was bought by George Kerstetter, who ran the restaurant before turning it into the commercial units that are there now, Todd said.
Since buying 55 Market St. from Kerstetter, the Borsas have been getting to know their new tenants. They credited Faith Chapel of Auburn with "(doing) a lot of good for people downtown," Todd said. Some of the residents are veterans, he continued, and some receive Section 8 housing benefits. The Borsas work with Unity House of Cayuga County, Chapel House, ARISE Cayuga/Seneca and other local agencies to place them. There are no formal income requirements to live in the building, Todd said, but even after its renovation, he and Jonathan hope to keep it affordable.
"Not everyone can afford $1,400 a month," Todd said. "We feel there's an absolute need for sustainable, affordable housing downtown."
Though the renovation was listed as a $538,918 project in Auburn's Downtown Revitalization Initiative application, Todd said he and Jonathan are scaling the project back. The first phase of work will cost $350,000 overall, he continued, and the Borsas are asking for $200,000 from the $10 million grant. They would cover the remainder of the cost with their own equity, Todd said. If the local committee leaves the project off its submission to the state next spring, or if the state doesn't approve it, the Borsas would fund the work themselves and possibly break it into more phases.
"We're excited, humbled and proud to be considered," Todd said.
As plans stand today, the first phase of work will consist of gutting the first-floor commercial spaces and the second and third floors' 13 residential units, and replacing their flooring, mechanicals, cabinets, countertops and appliances. Outside, the facade and sidewalls will be restored. The second phase will consist of the same work for the first floor's five residential units. Todd said he and Jonathan plan to secure short-term housing for their tenants while their units are renovated, and that they "wouldn't just put anybody on the street." The church, meanwhile, will stay put.
Though it will serve the same purpose for the same people inside, the sight of the restored historic building will be something to behold for those who walk by outside, Todd said.
"We want it to look like it used to," he said.听"We never thought we'd own a building like this."
- Natalie Brophy
AUBURN听鈥 More than six years after securing a tax break from the city to rehabilitate 20 downtown properties, an Auburn developer is close to embarking on the final stage of an expanded overall project.听
JBJ Real Property, run by the听Bartolotta family, is planning a听$5 million project to renovate听seven houses on John Street and build a number of new dwellings听along Arterial East to develop one big apartment complex on the outskirts of the city's downtown district. The family's redevelopment project was included in the city of Auburn's and is vying for part of the $10 million grant from the state. The project requested $1.1 million in the original application, but how much funding the project will receive听鈥 if it is chosen to be funded at all听鈥 will ultimately be decided by the Department of State in the spring.听
During an interview with 新加坡多多开奖记录 in late September, Joe Bartolotta of JBJ said the project will be completed in two phases and the first phase听鈥 the rehabilitation of preexisting homes on John Street 鈥 will move forward with or without DRI funding and will hopefully begin before the end of the year.听
"We've wrestled with the way that entry point to the downtown business district looks and it's kind of old and in need of an update," Joe Bartolotta said. "We feel that the more residential occupancy in downtown, the more support that will lend to the businesses downtown and that will help to continue to spur the momentum of economic development that's recently been enjoyed downtown."
The seven John Street properties, Joe Bartolotta said, will be "completely transformed" into 16 loft apartments. On the exterior, the homes will have new siding, windows and roofs. Inside, the units will be fitted with new HVAC systems, electrical and plumbing. Anthony Bartolotta said the developers are trying to "save as much of the original aesthetics and architectural detail as possible for each house."听听
JBJ is also planning on other amenities for the complex, including a community room, courtyard, workout room and plenty of off-street parking.听
The second phase of the project听鈥 the new construction along Arterial East听鈥 is what the Bartolottas are hoping to utilize DRI funding for, Joe Bartolotta said. They plan to build six apartment buildings with four one- or two-bedroom units in each building.听
The developers are still deciding on how much rent they will charge once the apartments are finished. Joe Bartolotta said there is a need for "clean, neat, quality housing" downtown at a variety of price points for a variety of different demographics.
In May 2012, the Bartolottas听received a 15-year听payment in lieu of taxes agreement听from the Auburn Industrial Development Agency to redevelop not only the seven John Street properties, but also 13 other properties on State Street, East Genesee Street and Dill Street in the city. The PILOT exempted the developers from听any payments for the first two years of the agreement. Currently, the property tax assessments on the 20 downtown properties are frozen at the $3 million pre-investment rate that was determined in 2012. In 2018, those same 20 properties were assessed at over $4.8 million, but the developers are continuing to pay property taxes based on the 2012 assessment.听
JBJ's current PILOT payment is $131,155 a year, which is divided among the city, county and school district. Without the tax break, the developers would have had to pay nearly $188,000 for the 20 properties, based on 2018 property assessments, according to听Cayuga Economic Development Agency Executive Director Tracy Verrier.听
For the final three years of the PILOT, from 2024 to 2027, the assessments will go up to $6.7 million and the payments will increase by 33 percent of the full taxable amount each year until they reach the full value.
Under the PILOT, the Bartolottas have redeveloped 13 other properties, raising the combined value of those properties nearly $2 million since 2012. They are eager to get started on the John Street properties, Joe Bartolotta said, "so we can allow the PILOT to start working for us."听
Since the PILOT freezes the properties' assessed values at pre-construction values, the developers are essentially paying the same amount of taxes on the John Street block it would be had they not received a PILOT.
JBJ acquired most the property along Arterial East from John Street to Fulton Street and one house on North Fulton Street several years ago when the development company was considering forgoing the residential redevelopment project and pursuing a commercial business on that block. However, that commercial opportunity fell through and the family went back to their original plan, but expanded the scope to include the newly acquired property. Joe Bartolotta didn't offer more details on the specifics of the commercial deal, but said it would have "completely transformed and reconfigured that whole block."
The failed commercial endeavor is the reason the John Street redevelopment project has taken so long to get off the ground, Joe Bartolotta said. JBJ had originally planned to start the housing project in 2014.听
Christina Selvek, the director of capital projects and grants for the city of Auburn, said the city included the Bartolottas' plan in its DRI application in 2017 and 2018 because the project will "transform the John Street neighborhood and give it the lift it needs."听
"It's important because John Street is the eastern gateway into downtown and the BID area," Selvek said. "It's a state route that takes people from route 90 to the lakefront. The city supports any efforts to rehabilitate the housing stock."听
The听Bartolottas agree that their project is much needed in the area and hopes it will continue the renaissance downtown Auburn has seen over the last decade.听
"We came of age, my brother (Anthony) and I, in the late '80s and '90s when Auburn was a bit of a ghost town and we've seen a lot of great things happen in the last decade and if the near past is any indication of what the next decade is going to look like, I think we can expect a lot of growth here in downtown and more importantly, beyond there," Joe Bartolotta said. "We hope this will have a ripple effect that will continue into the neighborhoods and transcend the entire city in the years to come. That's the hope."
- David Wilcox
AUBURN 鈥 Two Auburn cultural sites are partnering on a project with goals of curb appeal, accessibility and growth.
The Schweinfurth Art Center and the Cayuga Museum of History & Art are planning to create an arts campus that will visually accentuate the buildings and make it easier for visitors to enter them, as well as open the door to further development like artist housing and additional programming space. The project was included in the city of Auburn's successful 2018 Downtown Revitalization Initiative proposal, putting it on the table for funding as the city works with the state to decide how the $10 million grant will be spent. The art center and museum asked for $1,121,120 in the proposal.
Thursday at the Schweinfurth, Executive Director Donna Lamb and museum Executive Director Eileen McHugh said they've been discussing the campus project for years.
"We're two very different institutions, but we benefit from proximity and we have a lot of overlapping visitors," Lamb said. "So it seemed like a sensible thing."
Lamb and McHugh said they decided to pitch the campus project to the city after Councilor Jimmy Giannettino asked for ideas at a meeting of the Historic & Cultural Sites Commission. The timing was perfect, Lamb said: CNY Arts recently hired a master planner to create an arts district in Auburn and other area cities, and the campus "fits in beautifully" with that project. Meanwhile, the center has submitted a Consolidated Funding Application to replace its HVAC system and install one on its second floor, allowing it to expand its Studio Schweinfurth workshop series. And the museum has submitted its own application to hire a preservation architect to devise improvements to the Case Research Lab. Water intrusion and other issues currently prevent programming there, McHugh said.
Those projects share a common goal with the campus, Lamb and McHugh said. It will feature accessible and attractive walkways between the four buildings that comprise it: the art center, the museum, the lab and the Carriage House Theater. Those who park in the lot behind the center sometimes have difficulty finding the door, Lamb said, or they may not even see the museum, McHugh added. All they do see is the unsightly rear of the buildings. But through landscaping, signage and other improvements, the campus will guide those visitors inside in a more efficient and aesthetically pleasing way. There will also be a direct path from the center to the museum's side entrance for people with disabilities, McHugh said. That path currently snakes around much of the property.
The campus will also include more sustainable green parking lots that can host outdoor programming, as well as a plaza space in front of the Schweinfurth with sculptures and seating. And as the timeline continues, the project's components get more ambitious. First, Lamb and McHugh hope to add artist housing either adjoining the campus or in the west end neighborhood. Being able to house artists in residence, visiting lecturers and other creative personalities will widen the scope of programming on the campus, they said. Though they'd like to be able to house at least six to 10 people, Lamb said more capacity would push the center closer to another of its goals: moving its annual "Quilting by the Lake" conference and exhibit from Onondaga Community College to Auburn.
The Schweinfurth's plaza space will be built around an addition with a side entrance and an elevator, another part of Lamb's long-term plan. And the elevator will be built to allow for roof access, as the center also hopes to create a rooftop event space. The museum, meanwhile, would like to turn the basement of the Case Research Lab into a cafe accessible from the center or the theater.
However, those plans are subject to the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative process. Lamb said that if the campus project secures a piece of the grant, any work on it probably wouldn't begin until 2020. For that reason, as well as the uncertainty of further funding and therefore the extent of the project, she and McHugh are reluctant to attach figures to it at this point. Its overall budget is listed as $4,463,623 in the city's proposal, but that could change, they said. They're also unsure how many jobs the project will create, though components like artist housing and a cafe would assuredly require more staff. And they only know the potential is there to "significantly" increase visitorship from the Schweinfurth's annual figure of about 15,000 and the museum's of 8,500.
But Lamb and McHugh are certain that unifying their institutions as an arts campus on Auburn's west end would create a gateway to downtown 鈥 and a cultural destination for the region.
"Between these two places, we have history, art, theater, science 鈥 right here in one location," McHugh said. "We want to make it easier for other people to know that all of that's here in one spot."
- Keith Cuttler Special to 新加坡多多开奖记录
With Auburn being named one of this year鈥檚 winners of the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative award, I would like to congratulate the mayor, city councilors, Cayuga Economic Development Agency and, most importantly, the residents of the city of Auburn. I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation for offering East Hill the opportunity to submit a project as part of the DRI application.
East Hill Family Medical is a federally qualified health center, and as such receives federal funding annually to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability to pay, has access to high-quality primary medical and dental care. Community health centers use a holistic approach to patient care, treating the entire person by integrating mental health, oral health, substance use disorder and primary medical care services. Today, nearly 1,400 health centers are funded, operating more than 11,000 service delivery sites in communities across the country.
East Hill, your community health center, began as the Cayuga Family Planning Center in 1971 and has grown to include pediatrics, adult primary care, dentistry and family planning and reproductive health. More than 10,000 families receive care from East Hill each year, rendering more than 30,000 patient visits annually. Those patients who require specialized testing, surgery or visits to a specialist are referred almost exclusively to Auburn Community Hospital and its associated physician group, keeping health care local as much as possible.
Over the past two years, East Hill has rededicated itself to the provision of high quality health care. Each day, staff and clinicians work hard to create an exceptional patient experience for all 鈥 because everyone deserves great health care. Recently, East Hill achieved certification as an Advanced Primary Care Center, a designation bestowed upon health care providers in New York state with excellent quality measures and systems. Achieving this designation normally takes more than a year, but East Hill鈥檚 team was able to accomplish that goal in just five months.
Located in the heart of downtown, the Metcalf Plaza, East Hill鈥檚 headquarters, is an aging infrastructure. The $1.5 million project that was included in Auburn鈥檚 Downtown Revitalization Initiative application envisions more modern clinical spaces, equipment, furnishings and a more inviting exterior. Auburn is fortunate to have a downtown medical center providing day and evening access to health care within a short distance of the homes of a large portion of the population. The downtown revitalization award will supplement a larger, proposed multi-million-dollar reconstruction project that will transform the 52,000-square-foot Metcalf Plaza into a modern, upscale and inviting mixed-use facility, contributing meaningfully to the resurgence already underway in downtown Auburn.
In small cities and communities across the country, health care centers are often major economic drivers. Beyond bolstering the workforce with good-paying jobs, they contribute substantially to healthier communities, fighting every day to ensure that friends and neighbors get well and stay well. Health is a vital part of any successful community.
With 47 years under its belt, East Hill Family Medical is focused on a bright future, and is recommitted to ensuring the best health care possible for anyone in the community.
- David Wilcox
AUBURN 鈥 The former law offices of Dennis Sedor at 108 Genesee St. look like a war zone. Drywall has been punched through, cords dangle out of the walls and debris litters the floor.听
It's a somewhat familiar sight for the directors of Auburn Public Theater.
Scheduled to open in the space next spring is Sun Caf茅, a coffee shop and restaurant that will connect to the neighboring theater and support it financially. Previously called Caf茅 Einstein, it's half of a $1.2 million project that also includes the renovation of the theater's 13,000-square-foot basement into a black box theater and a multipurpose space for stand-up concerts, weddings and other uses.
Sedor vacated the caf茅 space in early July, clearing the way for Auburn Public Theater to start construction in the fall, Artistic Director Angela Daddabbo said Friday. The lawyer had nine years left on his lease, she continued, but agreed to let the theater buy it out and moved to 110 Genesee St. as a result. Daddabbo expressed gratitude to Sedor for clearing the way for the theater's expansion.
Meanwhile, the theater has been finalizing plans and funding for the Genesee Street caf茅. It secured $600,000 through the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council in December, as well as $200,000 from the Allyn Foundation and $100,000 of its own piecemeal fundraising, Daddabbo said. Now, she continued, the theater is working to raise about $200,000 to earn a $100,000 challenge grant from the Emerson Foundation. And it's prepared to continue fundraising in case the cost of the expansion goes over its $1.2 million projections, she added.
Later Friday, the caf茅 secured a potential source of additional funds when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced at the theater that Auburn won $10 million in the third round of the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The caf茅 was part of the city's for the money, with a $300,000 request, but the application is not binding and subject to a planning process with a state consultant.
Daddabbo said the theater is humbled by the support shown to its first capital campaign since it opened in 2005 in the old Grant's Department Store, which once looked like Sedor's office does today.
"There's a lot of goodwill for the organization," she said. "A lot of people want to be part of our continued success."
Fundraising isn't the only front of activity for Sun Caf茅. It has also lined up a coffee supplier in Simple Roast, Matthew Peirson's business based in Grant Avenue Plaza in Sennett. Peirson will not only provide the cafe's coffee, Daddabbo said, he'll sell his beans there as well. Though Peirson's art isn't the kind the theater typically showcases, she continued, his presence there still serves its mission.
"The theater has been an incubator space, if nothing else, for local talent of any variety 鈥 singers, dancers, musicians," she said. "And he happens to have a superior product, which is exciting."
Along with coffee roasted by Peirson, Sun Caf茅 will serve tea, salads, sandwiches and wraps. Like it did with Simple Roast, the theater will source much of its menu locally, and feature local recipes. That approach is partly inspired by the opening of the nearby Equal Rights Heritage Center, which is expected to welcome 10,000 to 40,000 unique visitors to the area annually, Daddabbo said.
Daddabbo said theater board members Dave Tobin and Ed Catto have held a few meetings with local restaurant owners where they explained Sun Caf茅's business model. Though it is for-profit, the caf茅 will donate revenue to the nonprofit theater. Daddabbo and theater Executive Director Carey Eidel found a guide for the idea in Caf茅 at 407 in Liverpool, which supports eating disorder treatment center Ophelia's Place. Also at the meetings, Daddabbo continued, Tobin and Catto sought to assure local restaurant owners that the goal of the caf茅 is to synergize with them, not supplant them.
"We just wanted to make sure the local restaurants understand that this is part of our original plan," she said.听"This is about creating long-term sustainability for Auburn Public Theater."
For instance, Daddabbo said, Sun Caf茅 will seat 50 people inside and 20 at an outside area on Exchange Street, so it won't quite compete with the cozy atmosphere of Riverbend Coffee down Genesee Street. And the caf茅 won't have a liquor license, so it won't compete with local bars. But it will bring people to downtown Auburn, she said, and that will benefit everyone.
- Natalie Brophy
AUBURN听鈥 After sitting vacant for 25 years, the site of the former Dunn and McCarthy shoe factory could one day be the new home of LIFT: Live It Fitness & Training.听
On June 21, the Auburn City Council approved a for four acres at 41-55 Washington Street to LIFT owners Dennis and Jessica Kelly for $40,000. The land, which the city has owned听since 1994 after the former factory was destroyed by a fire, is assessed at $130,625. The sale is still pending as the Kellys review an environmental assessment conducted on the property by the city. Jessica said what happens next will depend on the results of the assessments.听 听
The Kellys听opened LIFT听in 2014. The gym offers personal training, groups fitness classes and nutritional coaching. With over 500 members, the gym has outgrown its current space at听321 Clark St. in Auburn,听Dennis Kelly said.
"We're busting at the seams," Jessica said of LIFT's current facility.听听
The couple's vision for the space is more than a gym; it's a听lifestyle community. In phases, they plan to construct a 10,000-square-foot fitness facility with a daycare center, a cafe that serves healthy food, residential apartments and commercial space for retailers and specialists such as chiropractors and physical therapists.听听
"We are excited to continue working on this even though we know this is going to take some time to complete," Dennis said in an email to 新加坡多多开奖记录. "Jess and myself risked everything we had to start Live It Fitness and Training and we hope that the community and individuals follow our footsteps."
Added Jessica, "We really just have some big dreams. If you have a goal, if you have a dream, you have to shoot for it."
The couple's attorney,听Dominic V. Giacona, said the Kellys are hoping their project can breathe some life into "an area that needs some revitalization."听
"They're hopeful their revitalization will extend beyond that parcel of land to areas that are really in need," Giacona said. "We expect this project to improve the area through gentrification."
Although the land sold for more than $90,000 under its assessed value, city councilors said during the June 21 meeting they were happy that a long-vacant property will soon be developed and back on the tax rolls.听
"Now we are going to be selling it with promise and hope," Councilor Terry Cuddy said. "I'm very excited that that property is in good hands and I look forward to seeing what they're going to build."听
Councilor Jimmy Giannettino said projects such as this are contributing to "the renaissance of Auburn" and this project will greatly improve the neighborhood, which has "really been suffering" since the factory closed.听
"It'll be good to see that (for sale) sign come down," Giannettino said.听
"It's about time for that sign to come down," agreed City Clerk Chuck Mason, who was a city councilor in 1994 when the city first acquired the property through foreclosure.听
Cuddy said he remembers witnessing the fire at the factory on Dec. 19, 1993, and later walking through the ruins. The fire was one of the worst Auburn has ever seen, said Auburn Fire Chief Joe Morabito, who was a firefighter with the department听at the time. Morabito said it took multiple days and departments from all over the county to put out the fire, which was started by several juveniles who had lit a campfire in the vacant building.
- David Wilcox
AUBURN 鈥 Green shag has given way to wood and steel at 132 Genesee St., where The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. will hold a grand opening Friday, April 6.
Owner and brewer Garrett Shepherd held the soft opening Saturday, March 17. It was a few days shy of one year since he what's known as the Goss Building and relocated his brewery to its first floor, where clothing store PBJ on the Corner operated until 2012. Being St. Patrick's Day, the soft opening perfectly demonstrated why Shepherd moved, he said Friday. Many of his customers that day stopped in because they were bar-hopping at his new neighbors, like Parker's or A.T. Walley. They wouldn't have even seen the old Good Shepherds on Loop Road, which听听in 2014.
Though it's more visible, the new brewery has the same atmosphere as the old one, Shepherd said. He described it as modern but cozy, industrial but rustic. The cold steel of its chair legs and beams are balanced by warm wooden surfaces, including a community table that seats 16 and a bar with the curvy edge of raw lumber. And above each of the two 12-tap draft towers is a lattice window with four crest patterns. Shepherd found them in the basement, he said, and installed them so customers can see his brew room. The patterns evoke his shield logo, he added, so they're a perfect fit.
"It exceeded my expectations," Shepherd said of his new space. "Everything came out quite well."
Shepherd has a few final touches left: He wants to add some damping material to the walls and ceiling to reduce the echo, and he wants to mount a new chalkboard display for the beers he has on tap. In the summer, after some scheduled work on his Genesee Street sidewalk, Shepherd plans to install an awning with signage and secure a cafe permit so he can seat customers outside. And though serving food is a possibility, Shepherd said, for now he's encouraging customers to bring fare from nearby restaurants into his taproom. He carries menus for Parker's and others.
Behind the bar, Shepherd continues to brew with a 2.5-barrel system. He's added a glycol temperature control system, two 5-barrel fermenters and a 5-barrel brite tank. Along with his new walk-in cooler, which is 15-by-15 feet compared to his previous 6-by-6 one, the new equipment will help Shepherd raise production, he said. Last year, he brewed between 600 and 700 barrels.
Shepherd recently brewed his fourth batch on the new system. Because he couldn't brew for the few weeks it took to move his equipment, he's currently riding out a shortage. Before long, though, Good Shepherds beer will be flowing from its 24 taps 鈥 as will Good Shepherds cider, which Garrett can now make because he recently obtained a . The license will also allow him to serve beer, wine and spirits from New York producers. He's partnering with Izzo's White Barn and CJS Vineyard & Aurelius wineries, he said, and plans to add house cocktails to his menu.
Shepherd said he doesn't expect to be hindered by the farm brewery license requirement that he use a rising amount of state-sourced ingredients. As much as 50 percent of his malt and hops come from producers like 1886 Malt House in Fulton and Skaneateles Hop Farm, he estimates. And though Shepherd has established his brewery as an equal-opportunity one for styles, serving Scotch ales and pilsners alongside India pale ales and stouts, he's lately been "having a lot of fun" with the New England IPA 鈥 the same hazy style as Prison City Pub & Brewery's .
A version of Shepherd's There Is No Spoon New England IPA with Galaxy hops will join several other special beers at Friday's grand opening: a sour dry-hopped with Centennial from Heifer Hops in Skaneateles, a sour brown ale, a sour featuring raspberries from Shepherd's garden, and a porter aged on caramel, peppers and chocolate. Trio will play at 7 p.m.
After the grand opening, Shepherd will focus on brewing. He wants to get his beer back on tap at the places that poured it before his move, including 听in Auburn, Oak & Vine at Springside in Fleming, The Gould Hotel in Seneca Falls, Finger Lakes on Tap in Skaneateles and Boathouse Beer Garden in Ovid, for which Shepherd also . He needs the "breather" before he starts renovating the rest of the Goss Building in at least a few months, he said. He plans to rent the second floor as commercial space and the third as apartments.
Until then, Shepherd will be in the brew room and behind the bar of the new Good Shepherds. He still sees it as "a neighborhood bar" 鈥 it just happens to be in a new, more visible neighborhood.
- Robert Harding
Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., and the National Park Service are close to finalizing an agreement that will detail how the entities will manage the main sites associated with the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn.听
Frank Barrows, superintendent of Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome and project lead for the Tubman park, said Wednesday that the implementation agreement is under National Park Service internal legal reviews. An executed agreement is expected within the current fiscal year.听
The federal government's fiscal year ends Sept. 30.听
Barrows didn't have a specific timetable for the completion of the agreement, but explained that negotiations are ongoing between the Tubman home and National Park Service.听
"It's important for us to have a full understanding of how resources will move back and forth between the park service and the Harriet Tubman Home and how we'll be able to work in cooperation to preserve and protect the resources associated with Tubman," he said.听
Harriet Tubman Home President and CEO Karen Hill described the implementation agreement as a broad document that will guide how the two sides will operate the park. The parties will be responsible for jointly managing the South Street property where Tubman's brick residence and the Home for the Aged are located.听
The implementation agreement won't require any additional approvals from the federal or state governments. But a conservation easement, which is necessary for the National Park Service to have a role at the South Street property, will require the state attorney general's review.听
Hill expects the conservation easement process will begin once the implementation agreement is finalized.听
One issue the implementation agreement could help address is staffing. Once the park is fully operational, it's anticipated that National Park Service rangers will be on site. Despite the park being formally established last year, park rangers haven't had a permanent presence at the Tubman home because the implementation agreement isn't in effect.听
Barrows noted that park rangers have been able to assist the Tubman home during times of need. When a Tubman home staffer was ill, park rangers filled in to provide tours. And when larger groups visited the site, park rangers helped with programming.听
Once the implementation agreement is completed, Barrows said it's possible that rangers could be available for temporary assignments at the park this year.听
"We've been fortunate that we've been able to work that out at least in this interim period," Hill said of staffing. "Our expectation is that that becomes something that is more facile once we have an agreement in place on how we share those resources."听
Church update
The National Park Service's work at the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church on Parker Street continues.听
Barrows said the agency's preservation crew is at the historic site and is working on renovating the church and neighboring parsonage. The crew is restoring window frames at the parsonage and have nearly finished improvements to the front porch.听
Contracts are being prepared to remove the existing roof, which will be replaced with cedar roof shingles. Chimney repair work is also planned and a bathroom that is complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act will be installed, according to Barrows.听
There is also some other basic work being done at the sites, including basement and foundation repairs and replacement of heating and cooling systems.听
"They're moving right along," Barrows said.听
Brick residence
Hill is looking to secure federal funding that would finish renovations at the brick residence and enable visitors to access the structure.听
The Harriet Tubman Home organization has spent "considerable resources" on the site, she explained. Now she's hoping the federal government will come through with support.听
"I believe that there's an openness about doing all that is possible to bring the resources forward to help complete the Tubman brick residence so we can add that to the body of work that has already been completed at the Tubman site and make the brick residence a full part of the tour," she said.听
She estimated that the final renovations would cost about $400,000. Most of the exterior work has been completed, she said, but the interior needs to be finished. And the Tubman home would like to install a lift at the rear of the brick residence that would allow those in wheelchairs to enter the first floor of the home.听
Park service presence
Beyond assisting at the Tubman home, the National Park Service is establishing a regular presence in Auburn.听
Beginning this month, park rangers will participate in the city's First Friday events. Last week, a park ranger delivered a presentation on the basics of the national park system.听
The agency's goal of joining the First Friday event lineup, Barrows said, is starting the educational process about what it means to have a national park in the area.听
"We're very excited to start building those kinds of relationships and participating in collaborative programming," he said.听
Pilgrimage
The annual Tubman pilgrimage is a few months away, but Hill shared some details about the event.听
The pilgrimage will be held Saturday, June 2. It will begin with an 8:45 a.m. service at Tubman's grave site in Fort Hill Cemetery. Later in the day, a program will be held at Auburn High School.听
Hill said the program will recognize the work of U.S. Reps. Elijah Cummings and John Katko. Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, and Katko, R-Camillus, introduced legislation that would ensure Tubman's likeness is placed on the $20 bill.听
Park rangers will staff the Tubman home during the pilgrimage, Hill said. In the past, they had to close the property during the pilgrimage ceremony.听
- Natalie Brophy
A plan to consolidate Auburn and Cayuga County emergency services into one facility has been resurrected on a smaller scale than initially proposed but nevertheless is moving forward.
The proposed new facility would be located in the Save-A-Lot plaza on Seminary Street and would house the Auburn Fire Department. Auburn City Manager Jeff Dygert and Cayuga County Administrator J. Justin Woods have also discussed conceptual plans to relocate the county Emergency Management Office and E-911 office to the new facility. The city was awarded a听 in 2016 from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to put toward the facility. Dygert and Woods both hope the project will qualify for funding under the state's .听
The fire department has听. The Market Street station is over 85 years old and cannot support the weight of modern fire trucks听鈥 the floors are cracking and parts of the building are crumbling. The department is also running out of space for record keeping, equipment storage and staffing needs.听 听 听听
The plan for a public safety center has been discussed by the city and county on and off for years. In 2015, the city received four development proposals and began to move forward with one proposal from First Response Developers. However, the Auburn City Council听听amid budgetary restrictions. The plan at the time was to build a new complex at an unspecified downtown location for between $22 million and $28 million. Tenants for the building at the time included the Auburn fire and police departments, Auburn City Court and several Cayuga County agencies, including the probation department.听
The police station, which underwent听, will remain at its North Street headquarters. Dygert said the police department will be able to utilize some extra space once the fire department moves to its new building, but to what extent has not yet been decided.听 听听
Now, the city is working with Washington Street Partners, a Syracuse developer, to build the facility. The developer already owns the Seminary Street plaza, named . There is about 13,600 square feet of vacant building currently available, according to the Washington Street Partners' website. Dygert said the city will try to utilize the structure already there, but any plan will have to include constructing a garage for fire trucks. Dygert said the plaza's other tenants will not be displaced from their current spaces if the project moves forward.听 听 听
Dygert stressed the project is still in the early stages and very few details are known about the cost or scope at this point. The size of the facility will hinge on which county agencies, if any, decide to relocate to the complex.听听
Woods discussed the preliminary plans with members of the Cayuga County Legislature during the Feb. 14 Judicial and Public Safety Committee meeting.听听
"Conceptually, I think the idea makes a lot of sense," Woods said during a phone interview with 新加坡多多开奖记录, adding that he believes the legislators are also "conceptually supportive" of the idea. However, the county will not commit to any plan until more details are known.听听
Dygert said he plans to have a better idea of what the project will cost in the next few weeks. By the end of April, he hopes to have a complete plan to present to the city council for public discussion.听
"I am working very hard with the developer to make the most efficient use of the property we can," Dygert said. "We know we need the facility. I can go back to 1991 for the need for a new facility. It's something that's been talked about and it continually comes up but just never quite gets to the finish line. The scope of the project has been significantly reduced to keep the project as economical as possible. We're going to get to a point where we can't wait any longer. We can't keep putting it off."
- Natalie Brophy
AUBURN听鈥 Preliminary soil and ground water tests for the future community park space at 1-7 State St. 鈥 the site of the former Kalet building 鈥 came back "non-detect" for contamination,听Ted Liddell, a landscape architect with Bergmann Associates, said during a public meeting Monday night at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Given the , Liddell said the company's environmental scientists looked at the previous testing results听and expanded their testing "just to cover all of the bases."听 听
The land was tested in five different areas for contaminates,听such as petroleum, volatile organic compounds, pesticides and PCBs. Two samples were taken from each spot and compared for the most accurate results. Liddell said there was a discrepancy with one of the ground water samples, so that one will be retested to ensure no pollutants are present.听
"So far the preliminary results have shown that there's nothing to worry about," Liddell said.听
Liddell also unveiled four possible park designs during the meeting. The concepts were designed using ideas from the , including a stage for performances, green space and water features. He said the park will have a mix of contemporary and traditional design features.听
The first design features a large green space surrounded by built-in wall benches, foliage around the perimeter and a shaded stage platform. Design two is more of a plaza, with a paved center, overhead lighting, a water feature and movable seating. The third design also includes green space, along with a band shell, public restrooms and light posts with built-in charging stations. Design four features a paved center with a checker board design for large checker and chess games, along with a water wall and planters and trellises for greenery.听
All four designs incorporated a stage, foliage, lighting, seating, bike racks and the potential for an ice skating rink in the winter.
After the designs were presented, those in attendance were asked to write down what they liked and did not like about the each concept, as well as write down a name and choose their favorite overall design. Concept three seemed to be the most popular option.听
"There might be something in each one that you really, really like and there could be the opportunity that some of the elements from each of the four concepts could be combined into the final concept," Liddell said.听听
Auburnian Jack Hardy said the concepts were "interesting" and he liked different elements of each design. Hardy, who helps organize the Founders Day car show downtown, said the park will be a attractive feature for visitors.听
Jane Stebbins, the president of the Music United Foundation in Auburn, attended last month's meeting and said the architects did a "phenomenal job" with the designs.听
"I think they listened to us and put a lot of time and care in constructing all four park concepts," Stebbins said. "Out of the four, you certainly听could听garner pieces of each to create one amazing park."
Stebbins pitched the idea at the last meeting to name the park after听Thommie Walsh, a two-time Tony Award winner from Auburn who died at the age of 57. Several other people suggested naming the park after the performer as well.听
Thommie's sister, Barbara Walsh, was at the meeting and said it is "pretty exciting" that the park could be named after her brother.听
"I think my brother would be extremely proud and honored to know that the Auburnians were thinking of him and wanting to name something after听him," Barbara said. "I think he would be thrilled about it."听
Anyone who has additional ideas or comments can submit them by email to Auburn's Office of Planning and Economic Development Director Jenny Haines at听jhaines@auburnny.gov, or Kimberly Baptiste, a practice leader at Bergmann Associates, at听kbaptiste@bergmannpc.com.
- David Wilcox
An arts and entertainment district may soon be established in Auburn. But what should it do? How should it look? And whom should it include?
Auburn is one of five central New York municipalities slated for the districts; the others are Cortland, Oneida, Oswego and Syracuse. A $49,500 award from the Regional Economic Development Council, , will support the districts' blueprinting by . The blueprint will then be presented to the state for consideration of further funding for the districts.
At this early stage in the districts' creation, 新加坡多多开奖记录 spoke to two key figures in Auburn's arts and entertainment scene about the concept and how they'd like to see it executed: Auburn Public Theater Artistic Director 听and听Schweinfurth Art Center Executive Director .
Here's what they said:
Q. Do you think Auburn needs an arts district?
Daddabbo:听Yes, I believe a designated arts district would be extremely helpful to Auburn for many reasons. Auburn is rich 鈥 rich! 鈥斕齣n cultural and historic sites. Rich, not middle-class, not lower-class, not poverty-stricken, but rich. Gratefully, we have this incredible resource, so let's utilize it. And if we're going to utilize it, let's make the connections between all of the amazing things that are going on in Auburn crystal clear. If someone comes to town (or comes from town) to visit the , for example, a designated arts district could help make the connection between them visiting the SHM and visiting the or the or the or the , etc. The longer people stay and visit and have lunch and shop and spend the night in a hotel, etc., the more the local economy benefits. Similarly, if someone comes to town (or from town) to eat in one of our many (many!) great restaurants, with the help of a designated arts district, they could be pointed in the direction of visiting one of our sites. Finally, if a young professional is thinking about staying in the area or even moving back to the area or moving to the area for the first time, I believe a designated arts district could help influence that decision in a positive way.
Lamb: I think Auburn can benefit from an arts district. With Auburn鈥檚 great historic and cultural attractions, and recent downtown development, an arts district would be a natural and desirable development. Arts districts have been used in many other communities, such as , as a framework for revitalization and economic development.
Q. What could an Auburn arts district do that would make it most effective for the area's arts organizations?
Daddabbo:听An arts district will help unify all the area arts and historic organizations in a way that they are not yet unified. Each one exists, but to some extent on its own steam. We would be stronger together. Two cities that inspire me are Paducah, Kentucky, which I have visited, and Moose Jaw, Canada, which I have only read about.
Lamb: An arts district would provide greater visibility to our arts organizations and increase cultural tourism in the city. It would be used to help brand Auburn as a cultural destination. Collaborative marketing and programming, signage and a website would all help to increase cultural tourism and expand our audiences. This would also have a positive economic impact on local businesses and potentially attract more arts-related businesses.
Q. What form do you think an Auburn arts district should take, be it physical or online?
Daddabbo:听I think the arts district needs to be both physical and online. Definitely both.
Lamb: A physically defined district with recognizable signage would have the most impact, but you would also need an online presence and even a map. You really need to cover all the bases to reach as many people as possible. The signage raises awareness of our cultural attractions within our own community and for people travelling through the city. A map and an online presence would be useful in attracting out-of-town visitors and helping them plan a visit. A website also offers the opportunity to provide more information on the sites, related businesses and the community as a whole.
Q. What, locally, do you see being a part of an Auburn arts district?
Daddabbo: I think the answer to this question is best determined by committee. (Did I really just say that?!) Seriously, this is a project that has the potential to affect a lot of people, so I think all interested parties should have a seat at the table.
Lamb: I envision a main arts district that is primarily based on the downtown Auburn business district, but with outposts to include parks, public art installations or cultural sites that are outside of downtown. I see the main district and the outlying attractions being identified with arts district signage or banners, and on the map and website.
Inside the projects up for Auburn's $10M grant
Several projects were part of Auburn's winning proposal in the state's $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative competition this summer and more were brought forward during the DRI Local Planning Committee review process.听 Here is a collection of 新加坡多多开奖记录's recent reporting on more than a dozen of those projects, with more information about their costs, their timelines and what developers say they would bring to downtown Auburn.
- Kelly Rocheleau
AUBURN听鈥 Dan Soules was all smiles and excited hand gestures while talking recenly about the culinary center Cayuga Community College is developing in Auburn.
CCC is working on a facility to help students learn the skills to succeed in the culinary industry at the Auburn-based Plaza of the Arts, which is owned by Soules & Dunn Development Group, where Soules is a partner. The college has set up a 10-year lease at $80,000 per year to use around 9,000 square feet of the plaza, including its outside space, with an eye on a fall 2020 opening. An enrollment of 12-15 students is planned for the first year.
The Genesee Street building has housed multiple restaurants over the years 鈥 most recently the burger restaurant Patty Shack, which closed in August 2018.
Soules, Soules & Dunn's director of real estate development Steve Ansteth, CCC's humanities division Chair Steve Keeler and adjunct college professor Mark Fitzgerald sat down with 新加坡多多开奖记录 at the plaza earlier this month to talk about the project.听
Soules said the development group will also help CCC with the design and construction implementation of the center, adding that he believes it could bring flocks of people downtown. He said he sees the city's downtown area as "the perfect place to tie the community college into the community."
Keeler said a part of preparing the facility for fall 2020 is contingent on funding from the Auburn's听, where the state has carved out $10 million in potential funding toward projects within downtown.听The culinary center was identified as a priority project for the city by the local committee that forwarded a plan to the state at the end of March. CCC was requesting $800,000 in DRI funding with a total project cost of $1,250,000.
Keeler said CCC's vision for the building includes a training facility, a demonstration kitchen for community events, and space for students to practice that would sometimes be open to the public. The facility's starting classes are set to include basic cooking methods and safety and sanitation.
In addition to teaching students how to be chefs during the day, Keeler said, CCC wants the center to engage with the community, with possibilities such as one-off cooking classes for community members at night and bringing in the college's additional programming downtown with music, theater and art events. He emphasized that the center will not be a catering company or a restaurant.听 In the future, with expansion and additional staff, the center could look into possible options such as a "retail-type cafe," a test kitchen where people can create recipes and a community kitchen where people could make products to sell, he said.
"We build a good, solid culinary training program first, and then we look at what growth there is or is available to us," Keeler said.
Fitzgerald, a chef and culinary arts teacher at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, is overseeing the culinary elements of CCC's program and also consulting on the facility's design. Fitzgerald said he wants students to have a modern culinary education that will allow them to find employment. He and Soules said mentoring, developing leadership skills and learning how the culinary business works are all crucial elements of the field.
Fitzgerald said he doesn't believe other local culinary institutes will be able to offer what CCC's facility will. He said traditional programs across the country have seen attendance drop as they try to find ways to bring in modern students.
"For CCC to be in the position where they are to start a culinary program in a suffocated culinary market nationwide is a huge, huge thing," he said.
Keeler said he feels the center opens CCC to multiple possibilities.
"We're not just talking culinary in this facility, although that's obviously the great centerpiece of it," he said. "To be able to use what surrounds this faculty to bring other kinds of programming downtown, it's just such a great opportunity for us to become a better part of this community."
- David Wilcox
Those with projects up for pieces of Auburn's $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant are waiting to see how the money is spent with nothing short of anticipation.
In the case of the Seward House Museum, though, it's more like urgency.听
The Auburn museum has four projects on the table of the grant's Local Planning Committee, which will ultimately submit a spending plan to the state in March. But one of those projects has been given priority above the others: the rehabilitation of the museum's barn and carriage house, which sit behind the 1816 home, opposite the YMCA across William Street.
Museum Facilities Manager Mitch Maniccia said Friday that the project was prioritized after conversations with the committee and consultant Bergmann Associates. That's partly because rehabilitating the structures would serve the DRI mission of transforming that area of downtown. The project would also support the "This Place Matters" theme of Auburn's spending plan, Maniccia added.
But the major reason rehabilitating the two buildings has been prioritized is because they simply can't wait much longer, Maniccia said. The museum commissioned a building condition report on them in 2018, and the diagnosis was bleak, he continued. Without immediately addressing its foundation issues, among others, "we'd lose two very important historic resources," Maniccia said.
"They'd be unsalvageable," he said. "It would be too costly for significant repairs and we'd have to start from scratch."
The barn and carriage house replaced a barn that was burned down by an arsonist protesting William H. Seward's 1860 presidential campaign, Maniccia said. Frederick, the middle son of the former New York governor and secretary of state, then designed the two buildings. Though Frederick would follow his father to a career in politics, serving as assistant secretary of state and later in the New York State Assembly, he was also an aspiring architect. Maniccia said the museum's archives include his original hand-drawn blueprints and a letter to his mother, Frances, explaining them.
Though one can see work done to the barn and carriage house in the 1870s, 1890s and, most recently, the early 20th century, the structures haven't been touched since, Maniccia said. Today, he keeps the lawnmower inside. But with assistance from the DRI grant, the museum hopes to make use of the new 3,000 square feet of space. The first floor of the barn could have many uses, and the carriage house would become the new home of the carriage Seward was thrown from in April 1865, a week before the attempt on his life. (The jaw brace he wore as a result of the accident is credited with saving him from assailant Lewis Powell.) The carriage currently sits in the museum's woodshed, but it would be more accessible and featured in the carriage house, Maniccia said.
If work on the structures begins in 2020, he said, the project will cost a total of $1,232,000. The museum is seeking $860,000 from the DRI grant and will explore state funding to cover the rest.
Maniccia said public support for rehabilitating the barn and carriage house has risen since the museum has communicated the urgency of the project. He believes that's because it's part of the museum's vision for a new historic campus there, complemented by new neighbor the Equal Rights Heritage Center. And tying into that campus is another project the museum submitted for the Local Planning Committee's consideration: a landscaping effort that would see the South Street property's gardens restored to the "urban oasis" they once were, Maniccia said.
"Through future restoration we could bring those outside spaces back to the 19th-century glory that the Sewards would have recognized," he said.听
The specifics of the landscaping project are subject to a treatment plan that will be complete toward the end of summer, Maniccia said. It will take several years to implement, he added.
The two other projects submitted to the committee include a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for the museum. Like its barn and carriage house, the Seward House's temperature system hasn't been touched in several decades. The space is still heated by 1877 radiators, Maniccia said, and it lacks air conditioning. So not only is the museum chilly in the winter and sweltering in the summer, he continued, but its collection of artwork, documents and other archival materials would benefit from temperature and humidity controls.
Last, the Seward House seeks funding for Seward's Trolley, a vehicle that can circulate to the Cayuga Museum of History & Art, Willard Memorial Chapel and other historic and cultural sites in the area. The brainchild of museum Executive Director Billye Chabot, the trolley 鈥 a play on Alaska nickname "Seward's Folly" 鈥 likely won't happen in the near future, Maniccia said.
"It was always a dream, something we've always wanted to accomplish," he said. "But we have a lot of needs right now."
- Julie Piascik Special to 新加坡多多开奖记录
Some people spend their entire lives searching for a purpose. Joel Campagnola鈥檚 purpose wasn鈥檛 evident until he tragically lost his son, Nick, to opioid addiction. This event spiraled his life in an entirely new direction where he decided to follow his passion to help others who struggle with addiction. As a carpenter, Joel was running a successful business building and renovating homes; he is now dedicating his days, nights and weekends to help people who struggle with addiction. While his future is uncertain, the one element that guides him is hope. H.O.P.E., as Joel says, means 鈥渉ang on, pain ends.鈥
For those of you who know what Nick鈥檚 Ride 4 Friends is, you have likely been touched by someone in your life who has been through the hell of addiction. For those of you who are not aware, Nick鈥檚 Ride is a peer-based recovery organization with the sole purpose of helping those afflicted with addiction. The purpose of Nick鈥檚 Ride is to give the gift of hope back to the people that have become entangled in the disease of addiction. Many who come to 12 South St. have no one left who will try to help them, because sadly, they have burned all their bridges down. For many, Nick鈥檚 Ride is a new beginning with a new support system. Joel and his volunteer staff will work diligently to get people into rehab and follow them through the recovery process, meeting their families and doing whatever they can to ensure a successful recovery and re-entry back into society.
The board of Nick鈥檚 Ride has spent the past year trying to find a bigger building to move into, as Joel鈥檚 current space is too small to introduce any new programming or meeting space. The Bouley family has graciously committed a letter of intent to donate the 13 Chapel St. building to our cause. This donation is contingent upon Nick鈥檚 Ride 4 Friends securing $400,000 to go toward the buildout of this facility. This building is very much a part of Auburn鈥檚 history and it has been vacant for years. It will also need a lot of recovery to become a functioning office space and clubhouse for Nick鈥檚 Ride, which is only interested in one floor of the building, but with a hefty renovation budget. We have a vision and many goals that we would like to share with any donors interested in helping us achieve this very lofty goal: Restoring 13 Chapel St. and building a recovery center to help with a pandemic that is killing over 200 people a day in our country.
Nick鈥檚 Ride has been dependent on the generosity of the Auburn community since it began in 2017, and we will continue to rely on that generosity. The city of Auburn has been very helpful in trying to commit funding to the purchase and renovation of the monastery and we have been urging community support to help get this building into the Downtown Revitalization Initiative for funding. Our county has pledged funding for a peer support center. The people at 2 State St. 鈥 the Cayuga Economic Development Agency and the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce 鈥 have also been very supportive, as has the Allyn Foundation, which has given us guidance in developing our business plan. We can also thank the Cayuga Community Foundation for funding computers for our clubhouse, which are being used daily by people who are taking online classes, and for the running of our organization at 12 South St. But, to carry Joel鈥檚 mission forward, we need donors.
Sometimes, it just takes one person to believe in someone to make a difference. Joel is this one person. He genuinely wears his heart on his sleeve. He truly wants to lift others and get them back on the right path in life 鈥 it is his passion and purpose.
The board of Nick鈥檚 Ride and Joel are hopeful that we can find community businesses and donors to help. We can鈥檛 give up on those who have given up on themselves, and we can鈥檛 give up on hope. On behalf of the board and Joel, thank you for your continued support and please urge those who are struggling with addiction to come to us so that we can help them, too. Hope is an endless commodity that we anticipate giving freely to anyone who needs our help.
- David Wilcox
Todd and Jonathan Borsa have some family history in Auburn's Market Street Park area.
Their great-grandfather, tailor Carmelo Siracusa, once owned the flatiron building at the corner of Market and Genesee streets. Its triangular architecture made it beloved by the community. But in the early 1970s, at the height of the city's urban renewal听efforts, the building was demolished. It's memorialized on a mural a block up Genesee Street, next to Colonial Laundromat.
Now, the Borsas are trying to stop another Market Street building from going in the same direction.
Last November, the brothers bought 55 Market St., which consists of 18 residential units and two commercial ones occupied by Faith Chapel of Auburn. They plan to restore the building, which will cost more than $500,000. But the Borsas could get a boost from Auburn's $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, as 55 Market St. was one of five historic properties included in a Main Street Improvement Program in the city's . As that and other projects are considered by a local committee for submission to the state, the Borsas hope their building makes the cut.
"We've seen the momentum that's taken place over the past 10 years," Todd said Friday. "We want to continue that momentum."
Both born and raised in Auburn, Todd and Jonathan Borsa bought their first property, 17 Park Ave., in 2001, Todd said. But it wasn't until about three years ago that they ramped up their real estate interests, which now tally 11 properties and more than 40 units. Their great-grandfather wasn't their only inspiration: The Borsas' grandfather owned a dress factory across from the Dunn & McCarthy shoe factory, and their father owned about 70 units of his own in the '80s and '90s. So property ownership and management is "kind of in our blood," Todd said.
"We take a lot of pride in keeping well-managed, well-maintained properties," he said. "We enjoy working with people, and working with them as customers."
The Borsas almost doubled their number of units when they bought 55 Market St. Todd called it "a really cool building," and has been researching its history. Built shortly after the Civil War, the building was the Brunswick Hotel and then the Curtain Hotel until 1962. The next year, Ray Riordan bought the building and opened Riordan's Restaurant, which also served as an unofficial headquarters for the local Democratic Party. In 1980, the building was bought by George Kerstetter, who ran the restaurant before turning it into the commercial units that are there now, Todd said.
Since buying 55 Market St. from Kerstetter, the Borsas have been getting to know their new tenants. They credited Faith Chapel of Auburn with "(doing) a lot of good for people downtown," Todd said. Some of the residents are veterans, he continued, and some receive Section 8 housing benefits. The Borsas work with Unity House of Cayuga County, Chapel House, ARISE Cayuga/Seneca and other local agencies to place them. There are no formal income requirements to live in the building, Todd said, but even after its renovation, he and Jonathan hope to keep it affordable.
"Not everyone can afford $1,400 a month," Todd said. "We feel there's an absolute need for sustainable, affordable housing downtown."
Though the renovation was listed as a $538,918 project in Auburn's Downtown Revitalization Initiative application, Todd said he and Jonathan are scaling the project back. The first phase of work will cost $350,000 overall, he continued, and the Borsas are asking for $200,000 from the $10 million grant. They would cover the remainder of the cost with their own equity, Todd said. If the local committee leaves the project off its submission to the state next spring, or if the state doesn't approve it, the Borsas would fund the work themselves and possibly break it into more phases.
"We're excited, humbled and proud to be considered," Todd said.
As plans stand today, the first phase of work will consist of gutting the first-floor commercial spaces and the second and third floors' 13 residential units, and replacing their flooring, mechanicals, cabinets, countertops and appliances. Outside, the facade and sidewalls will be restored. The second phase will consist of the same work for the first floor's five residential units. Todd said he and Jonathan plan to secure short-term housing for their tenants while their units are renovated, and that they "wouldn't just put anybody on the street." The church, meanwhile, will stay put.
Though it will serve the same purpose for the same people inside, the sight of the restored historic building will be something to behold for those who walk by outside, Todd said.
"We want it to look like it used to," he said.听"We never thought we'd own a building like this."
- Natalie Brophy
AUBURN听鈥 More than six years after securing a tax break from the city to rehabilitate 20 downtown properties, an Auburn developer is close to embarking on the final stage of an expanded overall project.听
JBJ Real Property, run by the听Bartolotta family, is planning a听$5 million project to renovate听seven houses on John Street and build a number of new dwellings听along Arterial East to develop one big apartment complex on the outskirts of the city's downtown district. The family's redevelopment project was included in the city of Auburn's and is vying for part of the $10 million grant from the state. The project requested $1.1 million in the original application, but how much funding the project will receive听鈥 if it is chosen to be funded at all听鈥 will ultimately be decided by the Department of State in the spring.听
During an interview with 新加坡多多开奖记录 in late September, Joe Bartolotta of JBJ said the project will be completed in two phases and the first phase听鈥 the rehabilitation of preexisting homes on John Street 鈥 will move forward with or without DRI funding and will hopefully begin before the end of the year.听
"We've wrestled with the way that entry point to the downtown business district looks and it's kind of old and in need of an update," Joe Bartolotta said. "We feel that the more residential occupancy in downtown, the more support that will lend to the businesses downtown and that will help to continue to spur the momentum of economic development that's recently been enjoyed downtown."
The seven John Street properties, Joe Bartolotta said, will be "completely transformed" into 16 loft apartments. On the exterior, the homes will have new siding, windows and roofs. Inside, the units will be fitted with new HVAC systems, electrical and plumbing. Anthony Bartolotta said the developers are trying to "save as much of the original aesthetics and architectural detail as possible for each house."听听
JBJ is also planning on other amenities for the complex, including a community room, courtyard, workout room and plenty of off-street parking.听
The second phase of the project听鈥 the new construction along Arterial East听鈥 is what the Bartolottas are hoping to utilize DRI funding for, Joe Bartolotta said. They plan to build six apartment buildings with four one- or two-bedroom units in each building.听
The developers are still deciding on how much rent they will charge once the apartments are finished. Joe Bartolotta said there is a need for "clean, neat, quality housing" downtown at a variety of price points for a variety of different demographics.
In May 2012, the Bartolottas听received a 15-year听payment in lieu of taxes agreement听from the Auburn Industrial Development Agency to redevelop not only the seven John Street properties, but also 13 other properties on State Street, East Genesee Street and Dill Street in the city. The PILOT exempted the developers from听any payments for the first two years of the agreement. Currently, the property tax assessments on the 20 downtown properties are frozen at the $3 million pre-investment rate that was determined in 2012. In 2018, those same 20 properties were assessed at over $4.8 million, but the developers are continuing to pay property taxes based on the 2012 assessment.听
JBJ's current PILOT payment is $131,155 a year, which is divided among the city, county and school district. Without the tax break, the developers would have had to pay nearly $188,000 for the 20 properties, based on 2018 property assessments, according to听Cayuga Economic Development Agency Executive Director Tracy Verrier.听
For the final three years of the PILOT, from 2024 to 2027, the assessments will go up to $6.7 million and the payments will increase by 33 percent of the full taxable amount each year until they reach the full value.
Under the PILOT, the Bartolottas have redeveloped 13 other properties, raising the combined value of those properties nearly $2 million since 2012. They are eager to get started on the John Street properties, Joe Bartolotta said, "so we can allow the PILOT to start working for us."听
Since the PILOT freezes the properties' assessed values at pre-construction values, the developers are essentially paying the same amount of taxes on the John Street block it would be had they not received a PILOT.
JBJ acquired most the property along Arterial East from John Street to Fulton Street and one house on North Fulton Street several years ago when the development company was considering forgoing the residential redevelopment project and pursuing a commercial business on that block. However, that commercial opportunity fell through and the family went back to their original plan, but expanded the scope to include the newly acquired property. Joe Bartolotta didn't offer more details on the specifics of the commercial deal, but said it would have "completely transformed and reconfigured that whole block."
The failed commercial endeavor is the reason the John Street redevelopment project has taken so long to get off the ground, Joe Bartolotta said. JBJ had originally planned to start the housing project in 2014.听
Christina Selvek, the director of capital projects and grants for the city of Auburn, said the city included the Bartolottas' plan in its DRI application in 2017 and 2018 because the project will "transform the John Street neighborhood and give it the lift it needs."听
"It's important because John Street is the eastern gateway into downtown and the BID area," Selvek said. "It's a state route that takes people from route 90 to the lakefront. The city supports any efforts to rehabilitate the housing stock."听
The听Bartolottas agree that their project is much needed in the area and hopes it will continue the renaissance downtown Auburn has seen over the last decade.听
"We came of age, my brother (Anthony) and I, in the late '80s and '90s when Auburn was a bit of a ghost town and we've seen a lot of great things happen in the last decade and if the near past is any indication of what the next decade is going to look like, I think we can expect a lot of growth here in downtown and more importantly, beyond there," Joe Bartolotta said. "We hope this will have a ripple effect that will continue into the neighborhoods and transcend the entire city in the years to come. That's the hope."
- David Wilcox
AUBURN 鈥 Two Auburn cultural sites are partnering on a project with goals of curb appeal, accessibility and growth.
The Schweinfurth Art Center and the Cayuga Museum of History & Art are planning to create an arts campus that will visually accentuate the buildings and make it easier for visitors to enter them, as well as open the door to further development like artist housing and additional programming space. The project was included in the city of Auburn's successful 2018 Downtown Revitalization Initiative proposal, putting it on the table for funding as the city works with the state to decide how the $10 million grant will be spent. The art center and museum asked for $1,121,120 in the proposal.
Thursday at the Schweinfurth, Executive Director Donna Lamb and museum Executive Director Eileen McHugh said they've been discussing the campus project for years.
"We're two very different institutions, but we benefit from proximity and we have a lot of overlapping visitors," Lamb said. "So it seemed like a sensible thing."
Lamb and McHugh said they decided to pitch the campus project to the city after Councilor Jimmy Giannettino asked for ideas at a meeting of the Historic & Cultural Sites Commission. The timing was perfect, Lamb said: CNY Arts recently hired a master planner to create an arts district in Auburn and other area cities, and the campus "fits in beautifully" with that project. Meanwhile, the center has submitted a Consolidated Funding Application to replace its HVAC system and install one on its second floor, allowing it to expand its Studio Schweinfurth workshop series. And the museum has submitted its own application to hire a preservation architect to devise improvements to the Case Research Lab. Water intrusion and other issues currently prevent programming there, McHugh said.
Those projects share a common goal with the campus, Lamb and McHugh said. It will feature accessible and attractive walkways between the four buildings that comprise it: the art center, the museum, the lab and the Carriage House Theater. Those who park in the lot behind the center sometimes have difficulty finding the door, Lamb said, or they may not even see the museum, McHugh added. All they do see is the unsightly rear of the buildings. But through landscaping, signage and other improvements, the campus will guide those visitors inside in a more efficient and aesthetically pleasing way. There will also be a direct path from the center to the museum's side entrance for people with disabilities, McHugh said. That path currently snakes around much of the property.
The campus will also include more sustainable green parking lots that can host outdoor programming, as well as a plaza space in front of the Schweinfurth with sculptures and seating. And as the timeline continues, the project's components get more ambitious. First, Lamb and McHugh hope to add artist housing either adjoining the campus or in the west end neighborhood. Being able to house artists in residence, visiting lecturers and other creative personalities will widen the scope of programming on the campus, they said. Though they'd like to be able to house at least six to 10 people, Lamb said more capacity would push the center closer to another of its goals: moving its annual "Quilting by the Lake" conference and exhibit from Onondaga Community College to Auburn.
The Schweinfurth's plaza space will be built around an addition with a side entrance and an elevator, another part of Lamb's long-term plan. And the elevator will be built to allow for roof access, as the center also hopes to create a rooftop event space. The museum, meanwhile, would like to turn the basement of the Case Research Lab into a cafe accessible from the center or the theater.
However, those plans are subject to the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative process. Lamb said that if the campus project secures a piece of the grant, any work on it probably wouldn't begin until 2020. For that reason, as well as the uncertainty of further funding and therefore the extent of the project, she and McHugh are reluctant to attach figures to it at this point. Its overall budget is listed as $4,463,623 in the city's proposal, but that could change, they said. They're also unsure how many jobs the project will create, though components like artist housing and a cafe would assuredly require more staff. And they only know the potential is there to "significantly" increase visitorship from the Schweinfurth's annual figure of about 15,000 and the museum's of 8,500.
But Lamb and McHugh are certain that unifying their institutions as an arts campus on Auburn's west end would create a gateway to downtown 鈥 and a cultural destination for the region.
"Between these two places, we have history, art, theater, science 鈥 right here in one location," McHugh said. "We want to make it easier for other people to know that all of that's here in one spot."
- Keith Cuttler Special to 新加坡多多开奖记录
With Auburn being named one of this year鈥檚 winners of the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative award, I would like to congratulate the mayor, city councilors, Cayuga Economic Development Agency and, most importantly, the residents of the city of Auburn. I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation for offering East Hill the opportunity to submit a project as part of the DRI application.
East Hill Family Medical is a federally qualified health center, and as such receives federal funding annually to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability to pay, has access to high-quality primary medical and dental care. Community health centers use a holistic approach to patient care, treating the entire person by integrating mental health, oral health, substance use disorder and primary medical care services. Today, nearly 1,400 health centers are funded, operating more than 11,000 service delivery sites in communities across the country.
East Hill, your community health center, began as the Cayuga Family Planning Center in 1971 and has grown to include pediatrics, adult primary care, dentistry and family planning and reproductive health. More than 10,000 families receive care from East Hill each year, rendering more than 30,000 patient visits annually. Those patients who require specialized testing, surgery or visits to a specialist are referred almost exclusively to Auburn Community Hospital and its associated physician group, keeping health care local as much as possible.
Over the past two years, East Hill has rededicated itself to the provision of high quality health care. Each day, staff and clinicians work hard to create an exceptional patient experience for all 鈥 because everyone deserves great health care. Recently, East Hill achieved certification as an Advanced Primary Care Center, a designation bestowed upon health care providers in New York state with excellent quality measures and systems. Achieving this designation normally takes more than a year, but East Hill鈥檚 team was able to accomplish that goal in just five months.
Located in the heart of downtown, the Metcalf Plaza, East Hill鈥檚 headquarters, is an aging infrastructure. The $1.5 million project that was included in Auburn鈥檚 Downtown Revitalization Initiative application envisions more modern clinical spaces, equipment, furnishings and a more inviting exterior. Auburn is fortunate to have a downtown medical center providing day and evening access to health care within a short distance of the homes of a large portion of the population. The downtown revitalization award will supplement a larger, proposed multi-million-dollar reconstruction project that will transform the 52,000-square-foot Metcalf Plaza into a modern, upscale and inviting mixed-use facility, contributing meaningfully to the resurgence already underway in downtown Auburn.
In small cities and communities across the country, health care centers are often major economic drivers. Beyond bolstering the workforce with good-paying jobs, they contribute substantially to healthier communities, fighting every day to ensure that friends and neighbors get well and stay well. Health is a vital part of any successful community.
With 47 years under its belt, East Hill Family Medical is focused on a bright future, and is recommitted to ensuring the best health care possible for anyone in the community.
- David Wilcox
AUBURN 鈥 The former law offices of Dennis Sedor at 108 Genesee St. look like a war zone. Drywall has been punched through, cords dangle out of the walls and debris litters the floor.听
It's a somewhat familiar sight for the directors of Auburn Public Theater.
Scheduled to open in the space next spring is Sun Caf茅, a coffee shop and restaurant that will connect to the neighboring theater and support it financially. Previously called Caf茅 Einstein, it's half of a $1.2 million project that also includes the renovation of the theater's 13,000-square-foot basement into a black box theater and a multipurpose space for stand-up concerts, weddings and other uses.
Sedor vacated the caf茅 space in early July, clearing the way for Auburn Public Theater to start construction in the fall, Artistic Director Angela Daddabbo said Friday. The lawyer had nine years left on his lease, she continued, but agreed to let the theater buy it out and moved to 110 Genesee St. as a result. Daddabbo expressed gratitude to Sedor for clearing the way for the theater's expansion.
Meanwhile, the theater has been finalizing plans and funding for the Genesee Street caf茅. It secured $600,000 through the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council in December, as well as $200,000 from the Allyn Foundation and $100,000 of its own piecemeal fundraising, Daddabbo said. Now, she continued, the theater is working to raise about $200,000 to earn a $100,000 challenge grant from the Emerson Foundation. And it's prepared to continue fundraising in case the cost of the expansion goes over its $1.2 million projections, she added.
Later Friday, the caf茅 secured a potential source of additional funds when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced at the theater that Auburn won $10 million in the third round of the state's Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The caf茅 was part of the city's for the money, with a $300,000 request, but the application is not binding and subject to a planning process with a state consultant.
Daddabbo said the theater is humbled by the support shown to its first capital campaign since it opened in 2005 in the old Grant's Department Store, which once looked like Sedor's office does today.
"There's a lot of goodwill for the organization," she said. "A lot of people want to be part of our continued success."
Fundraising isn't the only front of activity for Sun Caf茅. It has also lined up a coffee supplier in Simple Roast, Matthew Peirson's business based in Grant Avenue Plaza in Sennett. Peirson will not only provide the cafe's coffee, Daddabbo said, he'll sell his beans there as well. Though Peirson's art isn't the kind the theater typically showcases, she continued, his presence there still serves its mission.
"The theater has been an incubator space, if nothing else, for local talent of any variety 鈥 singers, dancers, musicians," she said. "And he happens to have a superior product, which is exciting."
Along with coffee roasted by Peirson, Sun Caf茅 will serve tea, salads, sandwiches and wraps. Like it did with Simple Roast, the theater will source much of its menu locally, and feature local recipes. That approach is partly inspired by the opening of the nearby Equal Rights Heritage Center, which is expected to welcome 10,000 to 40,000 unique visitors to the area annually, Daddabbo said.
Daddabbo said theater board members Dave Tobin and Ed Catto have held a few meetings with local restaurant owners where they explained Sun Caf茅's business model. Though it is for-profit, the caf茅 will donate revenue to the nonprofit theater. Daddabbo and theater Executive Director Carey Eidel found a guide for the idea in Caf茅 at 407 in Liverpool, which supports eating disorder treatment center Ophelia's Place. Also at the meetings, Daddabbo continued, Tobin and Catto sought to assure local restaurant owners that the goal of the caf茅 is to synergize with them, not supplant them.
"We just wanted to make sure the local restaurants understand that this is part of our original plan," she said.听"This is about creating long-term sustainability for Auburn Public Theater."
For instance, Daddabbo said, Sun Caf茅 will seat 50 people inside and 20 at an outside area on Exchange Street, so it won't quite compete with the cozy atmosphere of Riverbend Coffee down Genesee Street. And the caf茅 won't have a liquor license, so it won't compete with local bars. But it will bring people to downtown Auburn, she said, and that will benefit everyone.
- Natalie Brophy
AUBURN听鈥 After sitting vacant for 25 years, the site of the former Dunn and McCarthy shoe factory could one day be the new home of LIFT: Live It Fitness & Training.听
On June 21, the Auburn City Council approved a for four acres at 41-55 Washington Street to LIFT owners Dennis and Jessica Kelly for $40,000. The land, which the city has owned听since 1994 after the former factory was destroyed by a fire, is assessed at $130,625. The sale is still pending as the Kellys review an environmental assessment conducted on the property by the city. Jessica said what happens next will depend on the results of the assessments.听 听
The Kellys听opened LIFT听in 2014. The gym offers personal training, groups fitness classes and nutritional coaching. With over 500 members, the gym has outgrown its current space at听321 Clark St. in Auburn,听Dennis Kelly said.
"We're busting at the seams," Jessica said of LIFT's current facility.听听
The couple's vision for the space is more than a gym; it's a听lifestyle community. In phases, they plan to construct a 10,000-square-foot fitness facility with a daycare center, a cafe that serves healthy food, residential apartments and commercial space for retailers and specialists such as chiropractors and physical therapists.听听
"We are excited to continue working on this even though we know this is going to take some time to complete," Dennis said in an email to 新加坡多多开奖记录. "Jess and myself risked everything we had to start Live It Fitness and Training and we hope that the community and individuals follow our footsteps."
Added Jessica, "We really just have some big dreams. If you have a goal, if you have a dream, you have to shoot for it."
The couple's attorney,听Dominic V. Giacona, said the Kellys are hoping their project can breathe some life into "an area that needs some revitalization."听
"They're hopeful their revitalization will extend beyond that parcel of land to areas that are really in need," Giacona said. "We expect this project to improve the area through gentrification."
Although the land sold for more than $90,000 under its assessed value, city councilors said during the June 21 meeting they were happy that a long-vacant property will soon be developed and back on the tax rolls.听
"Now we are going to be selling it with promise and hope," Councilor Terry Cuddy said. "I'm very excited that that property is in good hands and I look forward to seeing what they're going to build."听
Councilor Jimmy Giannettino said projects such as this are contributing to "the renaissance of Auburn" and this project will greatly improve the neighborhood, which has "really been suffering" since the factory closed.听
"It'll be good to see that (for sale) sign come down," Giannettino said.听
"It's about time for that sign to come down," agreed City Clerk Chuck Mason, who was a city councilor in 1994 when the city first acquired the property through foreclosure.听
Cuddy said he remembers witnessing the fire at the factory on Dec. 19, 1993, and later walking through the ruins. The fire was one of the worst Auburn has ever seen, said Auburn Fire Chief Joe Morabito, who was a firefighter with the department听at the time. Morabito said it took multiple days and departments from all over the county to put out the fire, which was started by several juveniles who had lit a campfire in the vacant building.
- David Wilcox
AUBURN 鈥 Green shag has given way to wood and steel at 132 Genesee St., where The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. will hold a grand opening Friday, April 6.
Owner and brewer Garrett Shepherd held the soft opening Saturday, March 17. It was a few days shy of one year since he what's known as the Goss Building and relocated his brewery to its first floor, where clothing store PBJ on the Corner operated until 2012. Being St. Patrick's Day, the soft opening perfectly demonstrated why Shepherd moved, he said Friday. Many of his customers that day stopped in because they were bar-hopping at his new neighbors, like Parker's or A.T. Walley. They wouldn't have even seen the old Good Shepherds on Loop Road, which听听in 2014.
Though it's more visible, the new brewery has the same atmosphere as the old one, Shepherd said. He described it as modern but cozy, industrial but rustic. The cold steel of its chair legs and beams are balanced by warm wooden surfaces, including a community table that seats 16 and a bar with the curvy edge of raw lumber. And above each of the two 12-tap draft towers is a lattice window with four crest patterns. Shepherd found them in the basement, he said, and installed them so customers can see his brew room. The patterns evoke his shield logo, he added, so they're a perfect fit.
"It exceeded my expectations," Shepherd said of his new space. "Everything came out quite well."
Shepherd has a few final touches left: He wants to add some damping material to the walls and ceiling to reduce the echo, and he wants to mount a new chalkboard display for the beers he has on tap. In the summer, after some scheduled work on his Genesee Street sidewalk, Shepherd plans to install an awning with signage and secure a cafe permit so he can seat customers outside. And though serving food is a possibility, Shepherd said, for now he's encouraging customers to bring fare from nearby restaurants into his taproom. He carries menus for Parker's and others.
Behind the bar, Shepherd continues to brew with a 2.5-barrel system. He's added a glycol temperature control system, two 5-barrel fermenters and a 5-barrel brite tank. Along with his new walk-in cooler, which is 15-by-15 feet compared to his previous 6-by-6 one, the new equipment will help Shepherd raise production, he said. Last year, he brewed between 600 and 700 barrels.
Shepherd recently brewed his fourth batch on the new system. Because he couldn't brew for the few weeks it took to move his equipment, he's currently riding out a shortage. Before long, though, Good Shepherds beer will be flowing from its 24 taps 鈥 as will Good Shepherds cider, which Garrett can now make because he recently obtained a . The license will also allow him to serve beer, wine and spirits from New York producers. He's partnering with Izzo's White Barn and CJS Vineyard & Aurelius wineries, he said, and plans to add house cocktails to his menu.
Shepherd said he doesn't expect to be hindered by the farm brewery license requirement that he use a rising amount of state-sourced ingredients. As much as 50 percent of his malt and hops come from producers like 1886 Malt House in Fulton and Skaneateles Hop Farm, he estimates. And though Shepherd has established his brewery as an equal-opportunity one for styles, serving Scotch ales and pilsners alongside India pale ales and stouts, he's lately been "having a lot of fun" with the New England IPA 鈥 the same hazy style as Prison City Pub & Brewery's .
A version of Shepherd's There Is No Spoon New England IPA with Galaxy hops will join several other special beers at Friday's grand opening: a sour dry-hopped with Centennial from Heifer Hops in Skaneateles, a sour brown ale, a sour featuring raspberries from Shepherd's garden, and a porter aged on caramel, peppers and chocolate. Trio will play at 7 p.m.
After the grand opening, Shepherd will focus on brewing. He wants to get his beer back on tap at the places that poured it before his move, including 听in Auburn, Oak & Vine at Springside in Fleming, The Gould Hotel in Seneca Falls, Finger Lakes on Tap in Skaneateles and Boathouse Beer Garden in Ovid, for which Shepherd also . He needs the "breather" before he starts renovating the rest of the Goss Building in at least a few months, he said. He plans to rent the second floor as commercial space and the third as apartments.
Until then, Shepherd will be in the brew room and behind the bar of the new Good Shepherds. He still sees it as "a neighborhood bar" 鈥 it just happens to be in a new, more visible neighborhood.
- Robert Harding
Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., and the National Park Service are close to finalizing an agreement that will detail how the entities will manage the main sites associated with the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn.听
Frank Barrows, superintendent of Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome and project lead for the Tubman park, said Wednesday that the implementation agreement is under National Park Service internal legal reviews. An executed agreement is expected within the current fiscal year.听
The federal government's fiscal year ends Sept. 30.听
Barrows didn't have a specific timetable for the completion of the agreement, but explained that negotiations are ongoing between the Tubman home and National Park Service.听
"It's important for us to have a full understanding of how resources will move back and forth between the park service and the Harriet Tubman Home and how we'll be able to work in cooperation to preserve and protect the resources associated with Tubman," he said.听
Harriet Tubman Home President and CEO Karen Hill described the implementation agreement as a broad document that will guide how the two sides will operate the park. The parties will be responsible for jointly managing the South Street property where Tubman's brick residence and the Home for the Aged are located.听
The implementation agreement won't require any additional approvals from the federal or state governments. But a conservation easement, which is necessary for the National Park Service to have a role at the South Street property, will require the state attorney general's review.听
Hill expects the conservation easement process will begin once the implementation agreement is finalized.听
One issue the implementation agreement could help address is staffing. Once the park is fully operational, it's anticipated that National Park Service rangers will be on site. Despite the park being formally established last year, park rangers haven't had a permanent presence at the Tubman home because the implementation agreement isn't in effect.听
Barrows noted that park rangers have been able to assist the Tubman home during times of need. When a Tubman home staffer was ill, park rangers filled in to provide tours. And when larger groups visited the site, park rangers helped with programming.听
Once the implementation agreement is completed, Barrows said it's possible that rangers could be available for temporary assignments at the park this year.听
"We've been fortunate that we've been able to work that out at least in this interim period," Hill said of staffing. "Our expectation is that that becomes something that is more facile once we have an agreement in place on how we share those resources."听
Church update
The National Park Service's work at the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church on Parker Street continues.听
Barrows said the agency's preservation crew is at the historic site and is working on renovating the church and neighboring parsonage. The crew is restoring window frames at the parsonage and have nearly finished improvements to the front porch.听
Contracts are being prepared to remove the existing roof, which will be replaced with cedar roof shingles. Chimney repair work is also planned and a bathroom that is complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act will be installed, according to Barrows.听
There is also some other basic work being done at the sites, including basement and foundation repairs and replacement of heating and cooling systems.听
"They're moving right along," Barrows said.听
Brick residence
Hill is looking to secure federal funding that would finish renovations at the brick residence and enable visitors to access the structure.听
The Harriet Tubman Home organization has spent "considerable resources" on the site, she explained. Now she's hoping the federal government will come through with support.听
"I believe that there's an openness about doing all that is possible to bring the resources forward to help complete the Tubman brick residence so we can add that to the body of work that has already been completed at the Tubman site and make the brick residence a full part of the tour," she said.听
She estimated that the final renovations would cost about $400,000. Most of the exterior work has been completed, she said, but the interior needs to be finished. And the Tubman home would like to install a lift at the rear of the brick residence that would allow those in wheelchairs to enter the first floor of the home.听
Park service presence
Beyond assisting at the Tubman home, the National Park Service is establishing a regular presence in Auburn.听
Beginning this month, park rangers will participate in the city's First Friday events. Last week, a park ranger delivered a presentation on the basics of the national park system.听
The agency's goal of joining the First Friday event lineup, Barrows said, is starting the educational process about what it means to have a national park in the area.听
"We're very excited to start building those kinds of relationships and participating in collaborative programming," he said.听
Pilgrimage
The annual Tubman pilgrimage is a few months away, but Hill shared some details about the event.听
The pilgrimage will be held Saturday, June 2. It will begin with an 8:45 a.m. service at Tubman's grave site in Fort Hill Cemetery. Later in the day, a program will be held at Auburn High School.听
Hill said the program will recognize the work of U.S. Reps. Elijah Cummings and John Katko. Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, and Katko, R-Camillus, introduced legislation that would ensure Tubman's likeness is placed on the $20 bill.听
Park rangers will staff the Tubman home during the pilgrimage, Hill said. In the past, they had to close the property during the pilgrimage ceremony.听
- Natalie Brophy
A plan to consolidate Auburn and Cayuga County emergency services into one facility has been resurrected on a smaller scale than initially proposed but nevertheless is moving forward.
The proposed new facility would be located in the Save-A-Lot plaza on Seminary Street and would house the Auburn Fire Department. Auburn City Manager Jeff Dygert and Cayuga County Administrator J. Justin Woods have also discussed conceptual plans to relocate the county Emergency Management Office and E-911 office to the new facility. The city was awarded a听 in 2016 from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to put toward the facility. Dygert and Woods both hope the project will qualify for funding under the state's .听
The fire department has听. The Market Street station is over 85 years old and cannot support the weight of modern fire trucks听鈥 the floors are cracking and parts of the building are crumbling. The department is also running out of space for record keeping, equipment storage and staffing needs.听 听 听听
The plan for a public safety center has been discussed by the city and county on and off for years. In 2015, the city received four development proposals and began to move forward with one proposal from First Response Developers. However, the Auburn City Council听听amid budgetary restrictions. The plan at the time was to build a new complex at an unspecified downtown location for between $22 million and $28 million. Tenants for the building at the time included the Auburn fire and police departments, Auburn City Court and several Cayuga County agencies, including the probation department.听
The police station, which underwent听, will remain at its North Street headquarters. Dygert said the police department will be able to utilize some extra space once the fire department moves to its new building, but to what extent has not yet been decided.听 听听
Now, the city is working with Washington Street Partners, a Syracuse developer, to build the facility. The developer already owns the Seminary Street plaza, named . There is about 13,600 square feet of vacant building currently available, according to the Washington Street Partners' website. Dygert said the city will try to utilize the structure already there, but any plan will have to include constructing a garage for fire trucks. Dygert said the plaza's other tenants will not be displaced from their current spaces if the project moves forward.听 听 听
Dygert stressed the project is still in the early stages and very few details are known about the cost or scope at this point. The size of the facility will hinge on which county agencies, if any, decide to relocate to the complex.听听
Woods discussed the preliminary plans with members of the Cayuga County Legislature during the Feb. 14 Judicial and Public Safety Committee meeting.听听
"Conceptually, I think the idea makes a lot of sense," Woods said during a phone interview with 新加坡多多开奖记录, adding that he believes the legislators are also "conceptually supportive" of the idea. However, the county will not commit to any plan until more details are known.听听
Dygert said he plans to have a better idea of what the project will cost in the next few weeks. By the end of April, he hopes to have a complete plan to present to the city council for public discussion.听
"I am working very hard with the developer to make the most efficient use of the property we can," Dygert said. "We know we need the facility. I can go back to 1991 for the need for a new facility. It's something that's been talked about and it continually comes up but just never quite gets to the finish line. The scope of the project has been significantly reduced to keep the project as economical as possible. We're going to get to a point where we can't wait any longer. We can't keep putting it off."
- Natalie Brophy
AUBURN听鈥 Preliminary soil and ground water tests for the future community park space at 1-7 State St. 鈥 the site of the former Kalet building 鈥 came back "non-detect" for contamination,听Ted Liddell, a landscape architect with Bergmann Associates, said during a public meeting Monday night at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Given the , Liddell said the company's environmental scientists looked at the previous testing results听and expanded their testing "just to cover all of the bases."听 听
The land was tested in five different areas for contaminates,听such as petroleum, volatile organic compounds, pesticides and PCBs. Two samples were taken from each spot and compared for the most accurate results. Liddell said there was a discrepancy with one of the ground water samples, so that one will be retested to ensure no pollutants are present.听
"So far the preliminary results have shown that there's nothing to worry about," Liddell said.听
Liddell also unveiled four possible park designs during the meeting. The concepts were designed using ideas from the , including a stage for performances, green space and water features. He said the park will have a mix of contemporary and traditional design features.听
The first design features a large green space surrounded by built-in wall benches, foliage around the perimeter and a shaded stage platform. Design two is more of a plaza, with a paved center, overhead lighting, a water feature and movable seating. The third design also includes green space, along with a band shell, public restrooms and light posts with built-in charging stations. Design four features a paved center with a checker board design for large checker and chess games, along with a water wall and planters and trellises for greenery.听
All four designs incorporated a stage, foliage, lighting, seating, bike racks and the potential for an ice skating rink in the winter.
After the designs were presented, those in attendance were asked to write down what they liked and did not like about the each concept, as well as write down a name and choose their favorite overall design. Concept three seemed to be the most popular option.听
"There might be something in each one that you really, really like and there could be the opportunity that some of the elements from each of the four concepts could be combined into the final concept," Liddell said.听听
Auburnian Jack Hardy said the concepts were "interesting" and he liked different elements of each design. Hardy, who helps organize the Founders Day car show downtown, said the park will be a attractive feature for visitors.听
Jane Stebbins, the president of the Music United Foundation in Auburn, attended last month's meeting and said the architects did a "phenomenal job" with the designs.听
"I think they listened to us and put a lot of time and care in constructing all four park concepts," Stebbins said. "Out of the four, you certainly听could听garner pieces of each to create one amazing park."
Stebbins pitched the idea at the last meeting to name the park after听Thommie Walsh, a two-time Tony Award winner from Auburn who died at the age of 57. Several other people suggested naming the park after the performer as well.听
Thommie's sister, Barbara Walsh, was at the meeting and said it is "pretty exciting" that the park could be named after her brother.听
"I think my brother would be extremely proud and honored to know that the Auburnians were thinking of him and wanting to name something after听him," Barbara said. "I think he would be thrilled about it."听
Anyone who has additional ideas or comments can submit them by email to Auburn's Office of Planning and Economic Development Director Jenny Haines at听jhaines@auburnny.gov, or Kimberly Baptiste, a practice leader at Bergmann Associates, at听kbaptiste@bergmannpc.com.
- David Wilcox
An arts and entertainment district may soon be established in Auburn. But what should it do? How should it look? And whom should it include?
Auburn is one of five central New York municipalities slated for the districts; the others are Cortland, Oneida, Oswego and Syracuse. A $49,500 award from the Regional Economic Development Council, , will support the districts' blueprinting by . The blueprint will then be presented to the state for consideration of further funding for the districts.
At this early stage in the districts' creation, 新加坡多多开奖记录 spoke to two key figures in Auburn's arts and entertainment scene about the concept and how they'd like to see it executed: Auburn Public Theater Artistic Director 听and听Schweinfurth Art Center Executive Director .
Here's what they said:
Q. Do you think Auburn needs an arts district?
Daddabbo:听Yes, I believe a designated arts district would be extremely helpful to Auburn for many reasons. Auburn is rich 鈥 rich! 鈥斕齣n cultural and historic sites. Rich, not middle-class, not lower-class, not poverty-stricken, but rich. Gratefully, we have this incredible resource, so let's utilize it. And if we're going to utilize it, let's make the connections between all of the amazing things that are going on in Auburn crystal clear. If someone comes to town (or comes from town) to visit the , for example, a designated arts district could help make the connection between them visiting the SHM and visiting the or the or the or the , etc. The longer people stay and visit and have lunch and shop and spend the night in a hotel, etc., the more the local economy benefits. Similarly, if someone comes to town (or from town) to eat in one of our many (many!) great restaurants, with the help of a designated arts district, they could be pointed in the direction of visiting one of our sites. Finally, if a young professional is thinking about staying in the area or even moving back to the area or moving to the area for the first time, I believe a designated arts district could help influence that decision in a positive way.
Lamb: I think Auburn can benefit from an arts district. With Auburn鈥檚 great historic and cultural attractions, and recent downtown development, an arts district would be a natural and desirable development. Arts districts have been used in many other communities, such as , as a framework for revitalization and economic development.
Q. What could an Auburn arts district do that would make it most effective for the area's arts organizations?
Daddabbo:听An arts district will help unify all the area arts and historic organizations in a way that they are not yet unified. Each one exists, but to some extent on its own steam. We would be stronger together. Two cities that inspire me are Paducah, Kentucky, which I have visited, and Moose Jaw, Canada, which I have only read about.
Lamb: An arts district would provide greater visibility to our arts organizations and increase cultural tourism in the city. It would be used to help brand Auburn as a cultural destination. Collaborative marketing and programming, signage and a website would all help to increase cultural tourism and expand our audiences. This would also have a positive economic impact on local businesses and potentially attract more arts-related businesses.
Q. What form do you think an Auburn arts district should take, be it physical or online?
Daddabbo:听I think the arts district needs to be both physical and online. Definitely both.
Lamb: A physically defined district with recognizable signage would have the most impact, but you would also need an online presence and even a map. You really need to cover all the bases to reach as many people as possible. The signage raises awareness of our cultural attractions within our own community and for people travelling through the city. A map and an online presence would be useful in attracting out-of-town visitors and helping them plan a visit. A website also offers the opportunity to provide more information on the sites, related businesses and the community as a whole.
Q. What, locally, do you see being a part of an Auburn arts district?
Daddabbo: I think the answer to this question is best determined by committee. (Did I really just say that?!) Seriously, this is a project that has the potential to affect a lot of people, so I think all interested parties should have a seat at the table.
Lamb: I envision a main arts district that is primarily based on the downtown Auburn business district, but with outposts to include parks, public art installations or cultural sites that are outside of downtown. I see the main district and the outlying attractions being identified with arts district signage or banners, and on the map and website.
Staff writer Dan Orzechowski can be reached at (315) 282-2239 or dan.orzechowski@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @OrzechowskiDan.
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