Healthy Living Campus

Updated: 7 a.m.:

The City of Batavia Planning & Development Committee tonight approved the site plan of the Healthy Living campus, a $30 million joint venture of United Memorial Medical Center (Rochester Regional Health) and the GLOW YMCA on East Main Street.

The tally was 3-1 in favor of the layout, with Ed Flynn, Rebecca Cohen and John Ognibene casting “yes” votes and David Beatty voting “no.” The committee’s monthly meeting took place at the City Hall Council Board Room.

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Related story: Planning committee member sees Healthy Living campus site plan as 'missed opportunity'

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“We’re extremely satisfied. We listened to what the concerns were and we made adjustments. I think they were fair and we were fair,” said GLOW YMCA Chief Executive Officer Rob Walker.

Project Consultant David Ciurzynski and representatives of the Clark Patterson Lee architectural/engineering firm had appeared before the PDC two times prior to tonight’s meeting.

Over the course of lengthy deliberations, a few changes requested by the committee were made, most notably the removal of an entrance/exit on Summit Street and removal of parking spaces in the area just east of Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, on a parcel where the YMCA currently sits.

Walker said developers surrendered about 30 parking spots to create more green space.

“When you’re in business, we want those spots, but out of respect for the process, we negotiated,” he said.

On the Summit Street issue, he said, “We met with the Summit Street (Neighborhood) Association and with a number of residents and we listened and we said, OK.”

“The traffic flow is going to work just fine as we have an exit on Washington (Avenue) and an exit on Bank (Street).”

Ciurzynski said the updated site plan shows the Summit Street exit removal and parking space adjustment, adding that there are no plans to build a wall or put up additional trees in the space between GO Art! and the new YMCA building.

PDC member Ed Flynn said the board received a letter from GO Art! stating its support of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative project as long as there was no wall.

Beatty then mentioned a site plan presented by Clark Patterson Lee and sent to Gregory Hallock, GO Art! executive director, was different from the final plan. He said he had hoped the PDC would have been able to see that document.

Ciurzynski said that was a previous drawing, calling it “much more elaborate than what we have and we’re not moving forward with that because of budget reasons.”

“The plan that you have (now) is the plan that we’re moving forward with,” he said, adding that the current plan has appropriate buffering on that back side (of GO Art!). “I understand that he (Hallock) may desire something more (but) technically it’s not his property. We have to be as good neighbors as possible, but we have to also manage our budget.”

The PDC reviewed the State Environmental Quality Review paperwork and determined no adverse impact. It did advise Ciurzynski, however, to make sure the GO Art! building is protected during construction as it is an historic structure. Ciurzynski said he would send the final site plan to the State Historic Preservation Office.

With the committee’s approval in hand, the timeline becomes much clearer.

Ciurzynski said construction documents should be complete by the late fall or early winter, and then bids will be solicited.

“Hopefully, by the end of the year, we’ll start seeing some (activity), with Cary Hall coming down. And start getting the site prepped and ready for construction in earnest starting in the spring,” he said, noting that the entire project will take about 20 months, including 14 to 16 months on the main two-story, 69,420-square-foot building.

“We’re trying to get everything done as quickly as possible so we can move in and take down the (existing) YMCA,” he said. “Start construction in the spring when the weather breaks, get the building up, get everything moved over into there from the existing Y to the new Y – get that operational – and then we can start looking at taking down the old Y and developing that site.”

He acknowledged the PDC’s opposition to the amount of parking on Main Street.

“They didn’t like the look of it (and) they wanted more of an urban park environment, so we sort of split the difference,” he said. “We gave up some very significant parking for our membership but we will find ways to work around that because it was important to the Planning & Development Committee.

“They’re looking out for the city; trying to make sure they can strike a balance. We’re a partner with the city, so we want to make sure that we can strike that balance that works for everybody.”

Even with the reduction of parking spots, the campus will accommodate about 200 cars. Walker said that hospital staff would be able to continue to park in the City Centre Mall parking lot.

As previously reported on The Batavian, the Healthy Living Campus will replace the current YMCA, and will feature YMCA amenities such as gymnasium, pool, locker rooms, multipurpose rooms, exercise rooms and a community living (common) area.

It also will have 10,000 square feet for the hospital’s Healthy Living (diabetes awareness and education) program as well as a medical clinic on the second floor as a teaching unit for medical residents, and space for RRH’s Baby Café, a breastfeeding program run by lactation specialists who offer education and support to any pregnant woman or breastfeeding mom in the community at no charge.

Graham to Build 'Infill' Addition

In other action, the PDC approved a site plan submitted by Graham Mfg. to construct a 2,500-square foot one-story infill addition on the south side of the industrial complex at 4-12 Howard St.

Chris Howell, facilities manager at Graham Mfg., said the company wishes to put in a metrology lab in the new space for non-destructive testing and a stockroom -- “and to do those things well we need a separate area, which is temperature controlled and where it is clean.”

Currently, the firm’s welding and grinding operations are integrated with this kind of testing, he said, and separating those processes will improve the metrology and non-destructive testing.

The plan also is subject to review by the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals due to the entire building’s coverage area on the lot being more than the permitted 40 percent.

Previously: City of Batavia Planning & Development Committee says 'no' to Summit Street access for Healthy Living Campus

In voting against the site plan of the Healthy Living campus project, City Planning & Development Committee member David Beatty called it a “missed opportunity” to fully take advantage of the several parcels of land along East Main Street in downtown Batavia.

“I think, for me, it’s such a key project here for Batavia, a key to Main Street,” Beatty said following tonight’s meeting. “We’ve been trying to develop Main Street for decades. So, I think they missed an opportunity to really develop the site – and by site, I mean the entire site that goes all the way back to Washington (Avenue) because they own all of that property.”

Beatty (photo at right) said developers (and, in the end, his colleagues) submitted and approved, respectively, a site plan where they’re “basically adding more parking by taking the steam plant (that sits back from Main Street, west of Wiard Street) out.”

“I’m looking for more green space and a planned public space that could sort of feed off GO Art!” he said. “GO Art! is right there on Main Street and the idea of developing a large public space on Main … and feeding that into the Healthy Living campus, essentially. They refer to it as a campus, but it’s a building and a parking lot.”

Although not wanting to speak for GO Art! Executive Director Gregory Hallock, Beatty said he believes Hallock will be disappointed in the outcome of that particular space but also said he foresees the three entities becoming “good partners.”

“I think there could have been more to it. Again, it’s a missed opportunity. I think they could have done more and I mentioned that many times at various meetings,” he said.

Afterwards, she told The Batavian that a previous “conceptual plan” created by the engineering firm of Clark Patterson Lee showed an expansion of the green space on Main Street and stretching north along the east side of GO Art! and the Genesee County Office for the Aging.

“In Gregory’s letter that he sent to the (PDC) board, he emphasized that there is this partnership that GO Art! has with the Y,” she said. (That plan) really did lend in our campus, the GO Art! campus, which will include the patio space – the courtyard space that is shared between GO Art! and the Office for the Aging,” she offered.

“So, that would be a seamless blend of this common space with the Y and could bleed right into their secondary entrance. But that’s not going to happen.”

Moma (photo at left) said that until the current Y building is taken down, “the barrier of that wall has created this confined space for us.”

“So, once it comes down, we’ll have to revisit what our landscape architecture plan will be for the courtyard and even our space where we can hold events,” she said.

She said the GO Art! board considers the courtyard as a key aspect to its fundraising efforts.

“Right now, with the parking how it has been approved, there’s going to be some conflict between the cars – that parking space – and how we’re going to be able to utilize the courtyard space. We see that as a funding mechanism … as we do have to raise funds for our operation.

“We appreciate the offer that the Y reached out and said they’d be happy to block out parking and things of that nature. But, we all know how we are as human beings.”

When it was mentioned that about 30 parking spots were removed from the plan, she said that “pushing it back a little further would have been ideal for us.”

“Once the demolition is done, we’ll have to see what those options are, and what we need to do to mitigate any impacts from the automobiles,” she said. “Maybe things will change as far as public opinion on parking, and how many people live downtown. Maybe more people will be walking to the Y. So, the use of having that extensive parking, at least so close to GO Art!, maybe it won’t be needed because of just how society is changing.”

Moma said that until the existing YMCA is torn down, the door is open to do something different with that space.

“There’s still the opportunity, we feel, that there’s hope to do something different with that space where it can be more of a collaborative, social, green active space, so that our programming and the Y’s programming can have this fluid activity time,” she said.

A Summit Street entrance and exit to the proposed Healthy Living Campus is off the table.

That’s the word from Duane Preston, City of Batavia Planning & Development Committee chair, following Tuesday night’s monthly meeting at the City Centre Council Board Room.

Consultants and architects assigned to the joint venture of United Memorial Medical Center (Rochester Regional Health) and the Genesee Area Family YMCA continued their presentation of the $30 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative project, looking to address concerns from their appearance in July.

At the forefront was the idea of an access from Summit Street on a parcel owned by the hospital between two houses on the west side of the street. Developers contended that it was needed to ensure proper traffic flow; planners, however, disagreed.

“They (project representatives) were kind of hesitant but we all agreed to take the Summit Street access off the plan,” Preston said. “Nobody on the board felt that it was needed at this point and my thing is that it is something that could be put in at a later date if we had to.”

As it stands now, vehicles will be able to enter the campus via Bank Street, Washington Avenue or Wiard Street.

Preston said two residents of Summit Street spoke against the access, mentioning increased traffic on the street and annoyance of vehicle lights in the backyard or side of their house.

The PDC also had hoped developers would expand the amount of green space along the east side of the GO ART! building at the corner of Main and Bank streets, removing some parking spaces in the process.

Consultant David Ciurzynski said that has been addressed, making that area more of a park-like setting.

Preston said he expects more green space there, but emphasized that developers still believe all parking lots in the plan are necessary.

No official action on the site plan was taken, said Preston, adding that the State Environmental Quality Review will be conducted now that the public hearing is over.

“They’re going to throw us another plan next month, and we’re going to go from there,” he said. “We all agree that the building is great. We don’t want to pinch this whole thing … but we’ve spent more time on the parking lot than we have on the building. Still, we have to do what’s best for the residents of Batavia.”

In other action, planners approved downtown design reviews for a new façade, lighting and signage on one side of the Batavia Tailors & Cleaners building at 33-39 Ellicott St., along with a new rooftop heating and air conditioning unit, and for renovations at Fieldstone Private Wealth, 219 East Main St.

Photo: The City of Batavia Planning & Development Committee has decided against allowing a Summit Street access point to the proposed Healthy Living Campus.  Photo above was taken from Wiard Street, looking east to Summit. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

“Explore (the) reduction of parking and increase green space. Goal: no parking.”

With that note to himself penciled in along the border of a sketch design showing a proposed parking lot where the Genesee Area Family YMCA currently sits, Michael Mistriner is going back to the drawing board in an attempt to zero in on a final site plan for the Healthy Living Campus project.

Mistriner, principal architect for Clark Patterson Lee in Buffalo, and David Ciurzynski, project manager, appeared before the City of Batavia Planning & Development Committee on Tuesday night, presenting their ideas of how the $30 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative venture should look upon completion sometime in 2023.

Members of the PDC, while thoroughly impressed with the design of the building that would house a new Genesee Area Family YMCA and medical offices affiliated with Rochester Regional Health and United Memorial Medical Center, weren’t totally on board with other aspects of the site plan. Specifically, the lack of green space along Main Street and a proposed entrance/exit into the campus from Summit Street.

The scope of the project calls for razing three buildings on East Main Street – the existing YMCA, a medical office building (former Cary Hall) and a maintenance building. The proposed new facility will include the two-story, 69,420-square-foot building, off-street parking, new access point from Summit Street and site work/landscaping throughout the complex.

All of the parcels involved have been rezoned from P-2 (Planned Development) to C-3 (Commercial).

PARKING VERSUS GREEN SPACE

Ciurzynski, Mistriner and UMMC President Dan Ireland indicated that their intention was to balance the amount of parking around the facility with green space, contending that additional parking would be necessary to accommodate the anticipated increase in business.

The current site plan does show some green space closer to Main Street, backed by a hedgerow to screen that from a 50-space parking lot that is next to the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council building and bumps up against the east wall of the Office for the Aging building.

“This (the green space) comes out as a flat surface and you can see people exercising (in a rendering) so the idea is we want to get out of the building; get on the street and really take advantage of that and building a program around it,” Mistriner said.

The site plan also shows a walkway between the new YMCA/UMMC facility and the Main Street parking area.

“We’re in talks with the GO ART! people to find out how we can utilize the space to activate the music courtyard that they have there and give us a nice visual,” Ciurzynski said. “We want to encourage activity between the two buildings … with hopes that something in the future could go here.”

Planner David Beatty said he liked the idea of green space there, but suggested that it be increased at the expense of eliminating some of the parking. It also was noted that in a Commercial zone, there are no minimum requirements for parking.

BEATTY: MORE OF THE GREAT OUTDOORS

“You have a new building … and we have some minimal ideas about outdoor space,” he said. “You talk about healthy outdoors, well there’s not that many outdoor spaces. So, that’s one of my basic problems about the site."

Beatty said he didn’t see the space being created by the removal of the existing YMCA as being fully utilized, and that prevents residents from getting the most benefit from what is supposed to be a “healthy living” setting.

“Right now, you’ve got little spaces, outdoor spaces, and you’ve got parking lots,” he added.

PDC Member Rebecca Cohen agreed with Beatty, adding that as it currently stands, the campus “doesn’t look like it’s functional.”

Mistriner said he understood where they were was going and drew lines on the design drawing that would expand the green space farther north, about halfway into the proposed parking area.

Later, as they concluded the review and had persuaded Mistriner to rethink the layout, Beatty said, “Ideally, I don’t want any parking there.”

“Outdoor space – it’s a huge opportunity for your facility,” Beatty said.

Ciurzynski replied, “We’ll just have to finish our study on the parking to see what … You have to understand that a significant amount of that parking space will be taken up during regular business hours for the clinic that is on the second floor. We’ve got to balance all of that out.”

IS SUMMIT STREET ACCESS NECESSARY?

PDC members Ed Flynn and Cohen said they questioned the need for an entrance/exit driveway from Summit Street, which would use an open area owned by UMMC, located between two houses on the west side of the street. Plans call for landscaping and buffering with trees the driveway.

Cohen mentioned the amount of vehicle traffic on the street, considering that St. Joseph’s School and Resurrection Parish are on the east side of the road, and also pedestrian traffic of pupils from that school and the Batavia Middle School on Ross Street.

Ciurzynski said a traffic study showed that an access point from Summit is vital to the flow of traffic in and out of the campus, giving motorists an option other than Bank Street, Washington Avenue and (the one-way) Wiard Street. He said he didn’t believe it would interfere with school traffic.

“We would hope that most of this traffic coming out onto Summit Street would be making a right-hand turn whereas the school drop-off is more on the east side of the road, so they should be passing in opposite directions,” he explained.

In any event, before a Summit Street access point would become reality, the residents in that area would have to be contacted about the proposal and a public hearing would have to be held.

Cohen said she thought the project, overall, is “fantastic” but her biggest concern was “integrating it seamlessly into the community – making it walkable, making it more available, and not just a big block in the middle of our downtown.”

LIGHTING UP WIARD STREET

Earlier, Cohen brought up the issue of adequate lighting along Wiard Street, an area that she said “traditionally is a little dicey at night.”

Ciurzynski responded by saying that plans are to place wall lighting on the east side of the new building to illuminate the street, while not having lights shine on adjacent residential properties.

The consultants opened the review by providing samples of the building elements – brick, limestone, extensive use of glass, sunscreens and other environmentally friendly materials that wash easily and also complement the colors and designs of existing buildings in that downtown area. They also said they considered the height of adjacent buildings in their design of the Healthy Living Campus building to ensure a uniform look.

Ciurzynski said he was concerned about the delay in completing the State Environmental Quality Review, which must be done before a contract with the state Department of Health can be signed to release $7.5 million in grant funding for the UMMC portion of the project.

“If we don’t get the SEQR, we don’t finalize our contract and we can’t start drawing funds against that,” he said. “We really need to start drawing funds against that because we need to start some of the demolition and we still have design to pay for and things like that.”

Code Enforcement Officer Doug Randall said that since it looks as though the architects were getting closer to a final, approved site plan, that the environmental review could be completed soon, possibly by the PDC’s next meeting on Aug. 17.

Primary sources of funding are $4.075 million in DRI money for the YMCA and the DOH Transformation 2 grant for $7.5 million.

“The balance of it is other foundations and other fundraising that we have done in the area,” Ciurzynski said. “We will have to do conventional financing to build the project, so anytime you do a project like this and you have funding sources that are relying upon you spending the money, and getting reimbursed – as well as public support -- you have to have that money somehow in place for construction.”

He said that more than $11 million has been raised through fundraising efforts thus far.

“We’re getting there; we’re doing really well,” he said.

Photo at top: Michael Mistriner, left; Dan Ireland and David Ciurzynski present Healthy Living Campus site plan to City Planning & Development Committee, from left, Meg Chilano, Doug Randall, Rebecca Cohen, Matt Gray, Ed Flynn, Duane Preston, David Beatty and John Ognibene; photos at bottom: Mistriner and Ciurzynski; rendering of the building; overhead site plan with Main Street at the bottom of the drawing. Photos by Mike Pettinella.

A small additional fee on City of Batavia residents’ quarterly water bill is all part of a “master plan."

The surcharge, which is based on water consumption, was the subject of a brief exchange at tonight’s City Council meeting at the City Hall Council Board Room.

Council Member Robert Bialkowski, after complimenting tax assessor Rhonda Saulsbury for explaining the property assessment process to citizens that he referred to her, reported that he has encountered “a lot of skepticism” over the home values – mostly increases – that recently were mailed.

“Everybody thinks that once that assessment has changed, we’re going to grab all that money,” he said. “I’ve explained how … the tax doesn’t go into effect until next year. It’s just one of those tough things.”

Then, he said he noticed that there is an additional fee on this year’s tax bill for water.

City Manager Rachael Tabelski said it is a water surcharge imposed by Genesee County that is in the second year of the two municipalities’ 40-year water supply agreement.

Following the meeting, Tabelski explained that the actual surcharge is $1.20 per 1,000 gallons used.

“The charge that shows up on the quarterly water bill is 60 cents per 1,000 gallons and the other 60 cents per 1,000 gallons used will be on the homeowners’ annual city tax bill,” she said.

Tabelski said the rate is based on the water master plan of Genesee County, which sells water to the city on a wholesale basis.

Council passed four resolutions tonight:

• The referral of a petition from the GLOW YMCA and United Memorial Medical Center to rezone 211 E. Main St. from P-2 (Planned Development/medical office building) to C-3 (Commercial) to the City Planning & Development Committee for review.

The zoning change is necessary to have all parcels designated Commercial before the construction of the two entities’ Healthy Living Campus.

Currently, Cary Hall (formerly McAuley School of Practical Nursing) sits on that land.

Council’s action moves the matter to the PDC for consideration at its May 18 meeting. The Genesee County Planning Board is scheduled to make its recommendation at its meeting on Thursday.

Once the PDC makes its ruling, the petition will go back to City Council, which will set a public hearing – likely next month.

• A $161,890 contract with Grove Roofing Services Inc., of Buffalo, to perform the Phase II roof replacement at the City Centre. Grove Roofing performed the first phase of the roof repairs and replacement to the city’s satisfaction, Tabelski said.

• A contract not to exceed $29,412 with AJ’s Tree Service of East Amherst to trim and remove trees in the city during the course of the 2021-22 fiscal year. Costs are determined on the size of the trees to be removed.

• The closing out of a Mall Fund after the issuance of a check for $13,970.84 from the city to mall merchants. Tabelski said the check was cashed last month, leaving no other cash in that fund.

In other developments, Council approved an All Babies Cherished vendor event for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 22 at the City Centre mall concourse, and the Memorial Day parade for 9:45 a.m. May 31, starting on East Main Street.

Council Member Rose Mary Christian said that she attended tonight’s Batavia City School District Board of Education meeting prior to the City Council meeting, and let board members know that the school district has the highest tax rate in the county, followed by Genesee County and then the City of Batavia.

She said she asked them to reduce the rate, especially since students were not in school all year – resulting in savings in the amount of gas, electric, water and transportation used.

“They also presented their budget, which wasn’t that bad but it’s not that great either,” she said.

Before Cary Hall at 211 E. Main St. can come tumbling down, the land that it sits on needs to be rezoned, according to the consultant representing the GLOW YMCA and United Memorial Medical Center in their efforts to construct a new Healthy Living Campus in Downtown Batavia.

David Ciurzynski of Ciurzynski Consulting LLC, of Attica, has petitioned City Council to change the zoning of that parcel from P-2 (Planned Development) to C-3 (Commercial) in order to have all of the land involved in the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative project under the same zoning designation.

P-2 refers to the current office medical building that is on the site originally occupied by the Cary Mansion, which was demolished in 1964 after nearly 150 years as a historical landmark.

“We have to take three or four parcels and combine them into one for the new building,” Ciurzynski said today. “It’s a commonplace process in projects such as this.”

The matter is on the agenda of Monday night’s City Council Special Conference and Business meetings.

A $30 million venture, the building will provide integrated services of the YMCA and UMMC, which is part of the Rochester Regional Health system. Construction is scheduled to start this fall and is expected to last into 2023.

The two-story facility will be situated on a stretch of land between the current YMCA and Wiard Street, covering 211 and 213 E. Main St. The parcel at 213 E. Main St., which once was the site of the Batavia Elks Home, is zoned C-3.

In his letter to City Council, Ciurzynski wrote that 211 E. Main St. “was likely kept as P-2 given the use of the building at the time of the zoning map changes.”

“The property was most recently used as a medical office building storage (it is empty now) and will be demolished to make room for the new GLOW YMCA/UMMC Healthy Living Campus upon approval of this rezone request," he wrote. "Upon completion of the new campus, the existing YMCA will be demolished.”

City Manager Rachael Tabelski, in a memo dated April 29 to City Council, advised that Council has the authority to refer matters such as these to the City Planning & Development Committee for review and recommendation. Thus, Council will consider a resolution drafted to make that happen.

Some history of 211 E. Main St., per a story on The Batavian, from 2012.

• The Cary Mansion was sold to St. Jerome Hospital in 1959 and it was taken down with about 30 days' notice five years later per orders of the hospital’s board of directors;

• The hospital began building a nursing school on the back of the property and then with very little notice decided to tear down the mansion to expand the nursing school, which was called the Catherine McAuley School of Practical Nursing. The program ran from 1963 to 1981.

• In 2012, a marker commemorating the mansion site was erected. The inscription reads: 1817-1964. A gift to his wife by Trumbull Cary, merchant, bank founder, NYS senator and first Batavia treasurer. The marker was paid for by the William C. Pomeroy Foundation.

• The building is now called Cary Hall and is owned by UMMC.

With close to 80 percent of its fundraising goal of $14 million in hand, the principals of the Healthy Living Campus for Downtown Batavia this morning announced the start of a public “community challenge” to bring in an additional $1 million.

“Today, on behalf of the GLOW YMCA, I am excited to announce that we are launching the public phase of the “Transforming Lives” campaign,” said Rob Walker, chief executive officer of the GLOW YMCA. “This campaign will allow the Y to build a Healthy Living Campus in Downtown Batavia, in partnership with Rochester Regional Health’s United Memorial Medical Center.”

The $30 million project, which is a key component of the city’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative award from New York State, will integrate services provided by the two entities under one extremely large roof. Construction is slated to begin this fall, with completion anticipated for some time in 2023.

The two-story building will cover a distance starting just east of the current YMCA and extending all the way to Wiard Street. Twenty thousand square feet of space will be available for hospital services and 60,000 square feet of space will be utilized by the YMCA.

Walker, during a 30-minute event for local media, said the YMCA “dedicated” volunteers have raised more than $11 million toward our $14 million fundraising goal.

“With us nearing the goal, we are now here to ask the community for support to help us reach our public phase goal of $1 million,” he said. “In addition, we are excited to share a donor match challenge. With the generous support of Peter Zeliff, we have a community challenge to support the new YMCA. Until September 2021, his support will match dollar-for-dollar all new gifts up to $500,000.”

Zeliff: We Need the Y for the Kids

Contacted by telephone this afternoon, Zeliff, chair of the Genesee County Economic Development Center Board of Directors and developer of the Oakwood Estates housing complex on East Main Street Road, said that in his view, it's all about providing opportunities for youth.

"I’ve lived in this area pretty much all of my life. I was born here and raised here, and I really think that this community needs the Y – mainly for kids," he said. "So, kids can have someplace to go and something to do. I believe in that project and I believe it will be good for Batavia and it will be good for Genesee County."

Zeliff said it is remarkable that $11 million has been raised thus far.

"When we started working on the Y project, myself and a bunch of other people thought that was an awful big ask for Genesee County residents to raise $14 million here. But, we’ve already raised over $11 million and that’s pretty amazing," he said.

Walker said that the timing of the project will “ultimately be determined by completion of the capital campaign.”

He then read a list of the planned services, starting with a state-of-the-art wellness center, indoor pool, group exercise studios, and gymnasium with indoor walking/running track.

Other features include a teaching kitchen, indoor playground, youth spaces, living room, and meeting rooms.

Integrated Services Under One Roof

“Our partnership with UMMC will provide primary care, behavioral health/crisis intervention services, telemedicine integration, cancer prevention outreach services, chronic illness services, and education services all in the same facility,” he said, noting that co-located services will include chronic disease management, rehabilitation, mental health, and community education.

“The new Y is for the children, adults, and families in our community. It will be a place for people from all walks of life to come together, gather and improve the quality of life,” he said.

UMMC President Dan Ireland predicted the Healthy Living Campus will be “a dynamic change to Downtown Batavia.”

“A thoughtful process has been undertaken to determine how to bring the right services that will complement each other,” he said. “So, as we look at our primary care center, which will grow and expand from what we offer today at Batavia Primary Care, it will allow more patient access, but also allow our doctors, our nurses, our resident physicians to leverage the work with the Y and integrate wellness and fitness into the regimens they use to care for patients.

“It’s a perfect match as we try to look holistically at people’s health to be able to then to work with Rob’s team to create ways and pathways for people to continue their journey to a healthier lifestyle.”

Ireland said an emphasis will be on cancer screenings, diabetic care, healthy eating, and education.

“There are a lot of ways to bring that all together, inclusive of our Baby Café, which will help breastfeeding moms – maybe the first time or subsequent times as they’re trying to work through the struggles that some people experience with breastfeeding, as well as leveraging from the childcare services that the YMCA offers for patients who are coming for visits at the hospital,” he explained.

Project Rep: Going for That Urban Feel

David Ciurzynski, design consultant and representative for both organizations, spoke about the look of the building prior to the fundraising appeal.

“We’re trying to bring in elements of the brick and the glass,” he said. “The brick is going to highlight the brick buildings and brick facades that we currently have on Main Street, Batavia – playing homage to the Seymour Building (GO ART! headquarters), which is a historic building. And then we have the glass and the panels, trying to mix of materials that give that urban feel – that modern, bright, fresh look that we want to achieve.”

Ciurzynski also reported on the last week’s initial site plan review by the City of Batavia Planning and Development Committee, stating the purpose was to help the PDC understand the status of the design process and to gain insight from the committee members.

“We are encouraged by their thoughtful questions and comments, such as the desire to enhance the project from Main Street,” he said. “We are working with the design team at CPL (Clark Patterson Lee) to develop concepts that enhance the entrance and Main Street courtyard. It is our hope that weather permitting, this courtyard can be utilized as an extension of our indoor program and activities.”

Board Director: A Transformative Build

Paul Marchese, chair of the Genesee Area YMCA Board of Directors, said he sees the campus as “the most transformative and impactive build in my history – and I’ve been living here all of my life.”

“I’m happy to support this project, which will significantly change Downtown. It is one of many investments that are going to reinvigorate Downtown. We think that our membership will significantly increase in factors. It is an amazing structure,” he said.

Walker said the YMCA was last renovated in 1975, He said he expects Downtown activity to triple once the campus is complete.

Plans call for the current YMCA to stay open until the new building is finished, meaning that there will be no disruption in services.

Others on hand for the announcement were Christopher White, chair of the GLOW YMCA Board of Directors; Paul Battaglia, capital campaign chair; and John Riter, capital campaign cochair.

Photo at top: Rob Walker addresses the media this morning. Middle: Walker and David Ciurzynski; Bottom: Dan Ireland and Walker. Photos by Mike Pettinella.

In modern and jazz dance terms, the Batavia Players’ Main Street 56 Dance Company is just a “fan kick” away from the start of a new era at its new home at 35 City Centre.

Project Manager David Ciurzynski, of Ciurzynski Consulting LLC, of Attica, today said that the $417,000 award from the New York Main Street Anchor Grant Program to the Main Street 56 Theater and Dance Company project likely will allow the dance studio portion to open for business sometime in June.

“(The funding) is going to allow us to design and build a new façade on the front of the building so you won’t have that old ‘mall’ look, and it will also help us with the lobby space in the areas that we had cut back on our design to fit into our budget,” Ciurzynski said. “So, it really balances out the project and allows us to complete it properly.”

Ciurzynski said interior drawings are almost done and building permits for the dance studio have been received.

“People at the mall may have seen some activity there as we have put up the drywall and installed some doors for the dance studio,” he said. “With that being said, we’re hoping to have it open in June.”

As far as the theater is concerned, he said design development drawings are expected by the end of the week “so we can start looking at finalizing the budget for that, getting permit review and get that bid out.”

Ciurzynski said he anticipates the theater being complete by the end of the year.

The Batavia Players has hired Thompson Builds of Churchville as the general contractor.

The project is being funded by a state Downtown Revitalization Award of $701,750, the recent NY Main Street Anchor Grant and a fundraising campaign.

“Part of the budget is being covered by volunteer labor as well,” he said. “It’s getting easier because we have funding; work is getting done. This is a real thing now for people.”

Ciurzynski said his involvement in the project has opened his eyes to the Batavia Players’ contributions to the community.

“It has been just an honor to work for these people. I never realized how many children and how many families that they reach through their educational and dance programs,” he said. “These are programs that people will be able to use during the reduced school times for their art classes for school. It’s really a big benefit to have this right in the middle of our city.”

In related action, the Batavia Development Corp. Board of Directors this morning formally approved acceptance of the $417,000 grant, which is awarded through the Housing Trust Fund Corporation and the Office of Community Renewal, to rehabilitate 14,000 square feet of vacant space for the theater.

Healthy Living Campus Update

Ciurzynski is representing Rochester Regional Health and the GLOW YMCA on the development of the Healthy Living Campus in Downtown Batavia – a $22.5 million project funded by a $4 million DRI award, $7.5 million grant from the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program II and a local fundraising campaign.

He said the project is at the design development stage, which means that the submittal of site plans to county and city planning boards isn’t too far away.

“We need to make sure we have all the funding sources in place … and also the material pricing and availability,” he offered, adding that he hopes that work will be bid out and some construction will start this fall. “We will try to balance that all out with the market, which is extremely difficult right now to do on a large project like that. Steel and copper pricing is unstable right now, and we just have to make sure that we can minimize its effect on our project.”

Ciurzynski said the plan is to take down Cary Hall on East Main Street, construct a new building and move the current YMCA operation into it.

“After that, we’ll take down the old Y,” he said. “It’s a good 12 to 15 months’ worth of construction for the new Y. If we start late this year, it will be late 2022 or early 2023 before that building comes down.”

He also said he would like to see the Office for the Aging (which is attached to the current YMCA) be a part of the Healthy Living Campus.

“We’re in talks with the Office for the Aging but right now the plan is to keep it where it is. That’s a work in progress. We would have to develop a plan to separate the building, and put in new utilities to make sure it is operational,” he said.

“The hope would be that we could find a way to incorporate them into the overall campus and save people money and be able to provide the same services and make the buildings work all at the same time.”

Calling it a “dynamic process” due to the fact that the venture includes two nonprofit organizations and the City of Batavia, Ciurzynski said it will take “time, patience and understanding to bring all the parts and pieces together.”

“But when we’re done, it is going to be a very transformational program in the center of our city that will provide much for health care and wellness for youth and seniors,” he said.

Previous: Healthy Living Campus consultant: Access to services at forefront of large-scale Batavia projects

Services to be provided at the Healthy Living Campus proposed for Downtown Batavia will go hand in hand with services to be offered by medical specialists at Rochester Regional Health’s facility that is planned for Route 98, north of the Thruway bridge.

That’s the assessment of David Ciurzynski of Ciurzynski Consulting LLC, of Attica, who is representing the owners in planning and design for the Healthy Living Campus project, a multimillion dollar joint venture of United Memorial Medical Center and the Genesee Area Family YMCA.

UMMC is part of the RRH system.

On Wednesday, Ciurzynski talked to The Batavian about the status of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative project -- a day after RRH announced that it is seeking to build a four-story, 140,000-square-foot office building on Route 98 in the Town of Batavia, across the road from Federal Drive and near Call Parkway.

“What Rochester Regional Health is doing is giving the (Batavia area) complementary services,” Ciurzynski said, noting that his team is in the process of revising the design of the downtown building. “They’re looking to make sure it has all of the right services in place to accommodate the community.”

Ciurzynski said the two-story Healthy Living Campus facility will replace the current YMCA at Main and Bank streets, and will feature 54,000 square feet of space for YMCA amenities such as gymnasium, pool, locker rooms, multipurpose rooms, exercise rooms and a community living (common) area.

It also will have 10,000 square feet for the hospital’s Healthy Living (diabetes awareness and education) program as well as a medical clinic on the second floor as a teaching unit for medical residents, and space for RRH’s Baby Café, a breastfeeding program run by lactation specialists who offer education and support to any pregnant woman or breastfeeding mom in the community at no charge.

“It’s all about having multiple access points (to health and wellness),” he said. “Part of the Downtown community wants services that are within walking distance, so that’s what this will be able to provide. The one near the Thruway will be able to service a wider region – with a variety of specialists.”

UMMC President Dan Ireland said that specifics regarding what practices will be in the Town of Batavia building will be revealed as the project progresses.

Ciurzynski called the Healthy Living Campus “the hub of the community,” with a total investment expected to approach $30 million.

The YMCA part of the proposal, estimated at $22.5 million including design fees, has received a DRI award of $4,075,000. The hospital piece is close to $10 million, Ciurzynski said, and has received a Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program II grant from the Department of Health for $7.5 million.

“We’re looking at the Healthy Living Campus as being that entire block – between Main Street and Washington Avenue, with the Jerome Center and everything (from Wiard Street west),” he said. “We’re trying to make everything complementary and symbiotic among all the buildings.”

The campus will cover around 15 to 20 acres in the heart of Batavia and will have ample parking and greenspace, Ciurzynski said.

“There so many wonderful services there between the Office for the Aging, the (Jerome Apartments) senior residency, YMCA and urgent care,” he said. “We will be taking down the boiler house and smokestack (behind the Jerome Center at 16 Bank St.) and making parking area and greenspace. We’re trying to find a way to make that the centerpiece of the community.”

Ciurzynski said he hopes to break ground next fall and see it through to completion by the end of 2022.

As far as the Office for the Aging is concerned, he said it will stay at its current location on Bank Street after separation from the YMCA building that will be demolished. He did say that the OFA could move into an expanded part of the new building in the future.

CPL of Rochester (formerly Clark Patterson Lee) has been selected as the architect, picking up where Gro Development LLC, a national company that designs YMCAs and other community-based facilities, left off.

The Ways & Means Committee was briefed on plans for the Healthy Living Campus and determined the next steps for financing the project at its meeting Wednesday.

The proposed Healthy Living wellness collaborative project will house the United Memorial Medical Center, YMCA fitness areas, Office for the Aging Senior Center and communal gathering spaces.

UMMC provides affordable primary care, local medical specialists and illness prevention. The Batavia YMCA offers family recreation, fitness coaching and adult aging services. The Office for the Aging assists with health care insurance programs, caregiver services and nutrition.

Dan Ireland, president of Rochester Regional Health/United Memorial, believes these organizations form a strong, unified effort.

Ireland, addressing the committee, said, “What you heard from us really paints a nice picture that there isn’t a better synergy than the three areas working together to provide for our community.”

YMCA CEO Rob Walker spoke of the positives of the proposed campus. The collaborative project hopes to promote investment from health care providers. In turn, Healthy Living membership holders can reap the benefits of affordable care and year-round access to wellness facilities.

Walker said, “The whole idea here is that we’re not just under one roof, but we’re going to be actually working on programs together. Groups from the Senior Center, groups from the hospital, groups from the Y will have to get a committee together on what programs we want to run jointly.”

Ireland and Walker posed various building configuration options to the committee. In response to concerns about accessible parking due to traffic flows, they presented different designs that could offer 400–500 parking spaces on the campus. They said that the finished project could attract more families and members of the aging population to this community.

Committee members are seeking more information about development financing, accessibility and potential joint programming. The wellness collaborative will finalize its financial model prior to asking for funding approval from the county legislature in 2020.

Office for the Aging Director Ruth Spink suggested it would be beneficial to present the Healthy Living Campus to the community in order to gather more feedback. The presentation is tentatively scheduled to occur during a public hearing in October.

Later, County Clerk Mike Cianfrini brought forward a resolution to the committee opposing the state's proposed “driver’s license access and privacy act.” The county Clerk's Office opposes it because it obligates the county clerk to accept all identification from undocumented individuals when they apply for driver’s licenses.

If the assembly bill is enacted, the clerk must approve identification documents written in any language as long as they have been authenticated by a foreign government. Therefore, the clerk may grant standard driver’s licenses to undocumented individuals even if the documentation cannot be translated.

Cianfrini added, “In the event that we hypothetically do recognize a fraudulent document or if we witness somebody … illegally register to vote, the [privacy portion] of the law prohibits us from contacting the state, local or federal law enforcement.”

Committee members discussed how these licenses could be used to access other government services. However, Cianfrini said a standard driver’s license does not guarantee Federal REAL ID to undocumented individuals. Beginning Oct. 1, 2020, the government will require REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses to board flights and enter federal facilities.

The resolution was unanimously carried by the Ways & Means Committee. According to the New York State Senate website, the bill is currently in assembly committee. It will travel to the state assembly and senate floors for passage thereafter.

The next Ways & Means Committee meeting is at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 19 at the Old Courthouse.

Press release:

In keeping with its longstanding commitment to the community and marking the 150^th anniversary of the founding of Tompkins Bank of Castile, Tompkins Financial Corporation, one of the largest employers in the City of Batavia, has pledged $150,000 to support the new joint YMCA and Rochester Regional Health Healthy Living Campus in Genesee County.

The project benefits YMCA members and senior citizens by providing services to thousands of individuals currently residing in Genesee and neighboring counties.

This donation supports a $22.5 million land redevelopment project that includes the current YMCA and United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC) Cary Hall on Main Street in Batavia. The initiative will have a substantial impact on Main Street, which is home to the headquarters of Tompkins Bank of Castile and Tompkins Insurance Agencies.

“This project will be transformational for downtown Batavia and benefit thousands of community residents for many years to come,” said John McKenna, president and CEO of Tompkins Bank of Castile.

David Boyce, president and CEO of Tompkins Insurance, added, “We’re excited to play a pivotal role in a project that is going to bring such positive change to the community.”

This community initiative is expected to boost the regional economy by about $60 million in over a decade. Rob Walker, YMCA chief executive officer and Daniel Ireland, UMMC president, said that the Genesee County Economic Development Center anticipates $60,478,540 in benefits to the GLOW region— including jobs at the new campus and during construction.