During the past couple of months, workmen have been seen replacing the roof on the former Second Ward School as well as cutting down trees on the Congress Street property in Bradford.
The building, purchased by the YWCA Bradford late last year to be renovated for its new administrative center and related services, has had some of its outside work completed, said Vanessa Castano, YW executive director.
“The roof was replaced on the main building, but not on the annex because we didn’t anticipate initially we could keep it,” Castano said in referring to a section of building added on the Tibbits Avenue side of the former school in the 1950s. “The trees were also taken down” near the building and asbestos had been previously removed.
The YW purchased the building from the Downtown Bradford Revitalization Corp. with support from the Neighborhood Partnership Project. Businesses involved with the partnership project include Zippo Manufacturing Co., Northwest Bank and American Refining Group.
The YW launched a capital campaign in December to raise additional funds for the renovation project, and to date has had good community response, Castano added.
“We’re still raising (funds) and we’ve had a really great response from the business community,” she said. “We’re hoping that will encourage individuals to give. Our first community mailer was successful. We’ll be doing another community mailer in the next week or two, so people can look for that.”
On a related topic, Castano said the agency has met with architects with Klauscher Architects in Pittsburgh to draw up a design for the inside of the building. The same firm had created the design for the renovation of Old City Hall a number of years ago.
“It’s really an exciting time, and fun to look at and imagine where we’re going to be,” Castano shared. Agency officials hope the design will be completed this year, with construction beginning at some point in 2018.
“We’ve been working with (the firm) since July on the design of the inside of the building,” Castano continued. “It needs new heating, new electrical and plumbing” installation.
The design is expected to include a 50-space parking lot constructed between Tibbits Avenue and Elm Street.
Castano said clean-up work will have to be completed on the interior of the building before construction begins. The work will include removal of a large amount of scrap metal and other items such as old desks, lockers, boilers, cast iron radiators, dozens of wooden pallets, tires and even van seats.
Angela Erway, YW development and marketing director, added, “The tires (in the building) are bizarre, there are a lot of tires. It could be that stuff was just dumped there.”
She said a heating system in the building that appears to be relatively new is likely reusable.
“There are items that we may be able to sell,” she surmised.
Castano said a new building is sorely needed not only to provide a sound structure with more space for programs, but one that is handicap-accessible and has more parking space.
She noted the YW building on West Corydon Street is 110 years old with a wing that had been added to the structure 60 to 70 years ago. The building is in need of multiple repairs, structural work and is not handicap-accessible.
“It’s in our budget to actually demolish this space,” Castano said of the current building. “The one thing we don’t want to create is any more abandoned space or blight.”
How the cleared property will be used after it is demolished has not been determined yet.
This stems from the agency’s ownership of two homes on either side of the current structure.
One home, called the Brown House, was purchased by the YW last summer, is now handicap-accessible and is used as a homeless shelter for six individuals. It was purchased through a collaborative effort by the YW, the McKean County Department of Human Services, the county Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the United Way of the Bradford Area.
The other home on the opposite side of the YW building also provides services to individuals.
In addition, the second floor of the current YW structure has 15 beds for homeless women, children and family units with fathers.
Erway interjected, “Another thing we need to get out there (to the public) is that we not only serve men, but we serve the entire county.”
On a final note, Castano said it hasn’t been determined how and if the two houses will be used by the agency after it moves to the renovated building. This is due to the possibility that the renovated structure may comprise a homeless shelter as well as space for domestic violence housing.
“There are a lot of questions, but also a lot of options,” Castano concluded.
