Cultural Center gets new tenant

Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES is one of the original supporters of the Erie Canal Cultural Center (ECCC) in Lyons and now it is also one of its tenants.

The BOCES board has approved a 10-year lease on 9430 square feet of space on the third floor of the large canalside building on the site of the old JL Hammett Company. The lease will be effective on January 1, 2002, when interior improvements on the building are expected to be complete.

BOCES and school districts participating in its shared enrichment programs, will have an exclusive area in which to learn, practice, demonstrate and exhibit a variety of artistic, cultural and historical endeavors that align with the New York State Education Standards. BOCES' space includes six activity areas and a proposed auditorium, which faces Water Street.

Dr. Joseph Marinelli, Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES District Superintendent, was president of the fledgling ECCC board for part of 1997 and from 1998 to 1999. He notes that he believes the center's potential is still not fully imagined.

The ECCC's transition to the next stage of development has recently depended on two things: An amended HUD Canal Corridor Initiative grant, which would allow transfer of funds to the ECCC project from two other programs; and rental of three core tenants. While the rentals have been completed, the amendment is still pending with HUD.

Besides Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES, tenants of the ECCC complex include Literacy Volunteers, Wayne County Council for the Arts, State Department of Labor and Wayne County Employment and Training, Multicultural Arts Project, Inc. and the offices, meeting rooms and exhibition space of the ECCC.

Future tenants will include a canalside restaurant, coffee house/newsstand, and small commercial areas.

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