How can Hornell revitalize Community Arts Center? Groups present plan for new activities

Is the Hornell Community Arts Center living up to its name?

Three community groups — the YMCA, the Hornell Public Library and Hornell Community Theatre — presented a new vision for the Broadway Mall building to the Common Council Monday night.

“I would like it to be changed enough where instead of people referring to it as the old Ponderosa, it’s known as the Community Arts Center,” said Library Director Denise Chilson.

The groups have met over the last several weeks to develop a plan for shared use of the building, which local leaders agree has not met its potential as a true community center.

“We think we could turn it into a much more active center for the city between the three of us,” said YMCA Executive Director Kristoph Kocan. “All three agencies would collaborate with planned schedules so we don’t double-book it.”

What new programs could be held at Community Arts Center?

The YMCA would welcome the additional space for Y programming. The YMCA envisions utilizing the building for art and music events, along with cooking classes if the kitchen is modernized. The Y has also discussed taking over party rentals of the building from the city, alleviating a scheduling crunch.

“We’re pretty tight. A lot of times we get people calling to book a birthday party and we’re already booked and don’t have space,” said Kocan. “This would open up more for that. The city has been doing some rentals for parties and activities. We came to the agreement it would be more efficient for the Y to do that.”

Space is also at a premium for the library, which already hosts some events at the Arts Center out of necessity. In the past year it held 29 programs in the building with total attendance around 1,600. Events include the summer reading program, guest speakers, and arts and culture events.

The library would like to conduct more arts and crafts events at the Arts Center, along with activities that bring in more teenagers.

Hornell Community Theatre, meanwhile, could utilize the building for rehearsals and live shows.

“I think this is something our community really needs, a spot we can be proud of and we can keep busy with activities for all different ages,” said Chilson. “Having a multipurpose cultural center in a centralized location would be perfect.”

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What obstacles stand in the way?

Kocan noted that the building’s role as a Board of Elections polling place prevents the Y from utilizing the building for an everyday program like a day care or afterschool care.

The three groups agree that the Arts Center needs some capital improvements to turn it into the vibrant community space they envision. Chilson noted a new kitchen could be used for fundraisers as well as cooking and nutrition classes.

“We’ve had some high-level discussions, but if the city is receptive, they would have to decide how much work they want to put into the building to make it more useable and a greater asset for the community,” Kocan said.

Hornell Mayor John Buckley brought the groups together and is on board with boosting the Arts Center’s place in the community. The city’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization grant included $200,000 for interior and exterior building enhancements such as building signage, façade improvements, landscaping, a new entry and restroom upgrades to make it ADA-compliant.

“This goes back more than a decade. We’ve really struggled to provide any consistent programming or events there,” said Buckley. “It’s really turned into a cheap rental space, and 95% of what goes on at the Arts Center could easily take place at The Main Place, the VFW, the Legion, the Elks Club or any of the other halls around the city.

“My vision is to offer different programming to people of all ages. The sky is really the limit when you have three groups like that collaborating together.”

This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Hornell aims to boost use of Community Arts Center. Here's how