Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts reveals plans to make historic building accessible

A project to bring modern accessibility features to the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts’ (TCFA) main building at 5 McLallen St. is close to being approved by the village’s planning board.

At the village of Trumansburg’s planning board meeting on Oct 24, TCFA officials presented the plan to the board, which would bring overall renewal to the structure and accessibility features outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The project would bring the building up to property code compliance.

The meeting can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieRPBXu2Ukc

A copy of the site plan application, which details the upgrades considered for the facility can also be found here: https://static.flxwebsites.com/documents/TCFA_SPR_submission_10-16-24.pdf

Ezrae Delaney, who chairs the facilities committee of the TCFA, said that the upgrades were first planned around two years ago.

“We wanted to open the building up to everybody,” he said. “It really needs to be a community center. Looking at our building, it just doesn’t do that right now.” 

Delaney said the building is just not up to modern standards of accessibility.

“It is kinda treacherous to get in and out of there, the ramps are not compliant,” he said. “The entrance doors are not compliant, as they were built in 1851. Then there is a tremendous amount of structural work done over the years and more that we still need.”

The planned work includes renovation of the front doors, portico, exterior wood columns and painting of the exterior, according to a copy of the plan. In addition, the fiberboard added to the interior walls and ceilings in the 1950s will be removed, and the original plaster walls will be repaired and painted. The original windows will be restored and made operational with interior storm sash added. 

The lighting and electrical distribution will be upgraded, and structural repairs will be made where needed. Site perimeter drainage will be installed to address basement water infiltration. Improvements will be made to insulate the doors and attic. 

The existing non-compliant ramp will be removed and replaced, creating an ADA compliant path of travel from the exterior to the stage. A new ADA compliant restroom will be built in the lobby. 

All the work is designed to comply with the highest historic preservation standards, Delaney said.

The total cost of the project could be around $651,000, Delaney estimated. To help partially fund the project, the organization secured a grant in 2022 from the state’s Council for the Arts for around $279,000.

Dona Roman, the managing director of the TCFA, said the repairs are necessary as the organization is vital to the development of arts in the community.

“We are the arts hub of the area,” Roman said. “We serve over 200 children, the majority from Trumansburg. The majority of patrons of our events are seniors. We have very affordable programming.  We work very hard to make those programs available for our families and seniors.”

Planning Board Chair Rick Geiger said the application by the TCFA cleared environmental reviews mandated by the state. However, because the building is within a 500-footradius of a state highway, the project would require a state review of an approved site plan application. 

The next step in that site plan application process is a public hearing at the November 21 meeting of the Planning Board. At that meeting, the board will consider feedback from residents and then vote on whether to approve the site plan application. After that, the application will be sent to the state. The state can take up to 90 days to respond to the TCFA, but Tom Myers, the village’s zoning officer, said recent applications sent to the state have taken around two weeks to be returned. 

“It is really wonderful that this is happening,” said Michelle Mitrani, a Planning Board member. “I am sure this is a lot of work and an overwhelming project, but I am very excited for it.”

Ulysses Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

In brief

The Ulysses Town Hall at 10 Elm St. will have candy for trick or treaters and those looking for their sweet fix on Halloween night, Thursday, Oct. 31 between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. 

“We’ll have an additional treat… bookmarks printed with spellbinding and illuminating information relevant to the town of Ulysses,” Town Clerk Carissa Parlato said in an email. 

On another Halloween related note, the village of Trumansburg is closing the following streets to vehicular traffic from 5 p..m to 8 p.m. on Halloween night.

• Bradley, Washington, and Congress streets — from McLallen Street to Seneca Road. 
• South Street — from Main Street to Camp Street.
• Whig Street — from Truman Street to Elm Street.
• Larchmont/Tamarack streets — from South Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.