Schumer to Feds: Help Sonnenberg Acquire Adjacent Property for State- of-the-Art Welcome Center, Turbocharge Local Tourism

Press Release

Today, at the U.S. Army Reserve Property in Canandaigua, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and General Services Administration (GSA) to work with the Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park to acquire a federally-owned property adjacent to Sonnenberg that would enable the world-class tourism destination to expand its grounds and build a new center to welcome tens of thousands of visitors each year. Sonnenberg currently lacks a number of key features, including a welcome center; a climate-controlled space to curate, archive and display artifacts; adequate paved parking for visitors and tour buses; and dedicated educational programming space on its campus. Schumer said that Sonnenberg is looking to expand in order to build these amenities and would like to acquire the property adjacent to it, which is a 3.5-acre property with several buildings owned by the DOD's U.S. Army Reserve (USAR). Schumer said the USAR plans to vacate the facility on January 1, 2015, making it a prime acquisition opportunity for Sonnenberg. Therefore, Schumer urged the DOD and GSA to work with Sonnenberg officials to help them acquire this property. Schumer also urged the USAR to complete its environmental review as soon as possible so that the property will not sit vacant and can be made available for reuse as soon as possible.

"What we have in Canandaigua is a unique opportunity to bring together the historic Ontario County tourism magnet of Sonnenberg gardens, which needs more space, with a neighboring and underused federal site that is soon to be vacant; it is the perfect match and I am urging he federal DOD to work with Sonnenberg gardens to transfer the property so they can build a brand new welcome center, expand parking and increase their display space," said Schumer. "Sonnenberg could attract even more visitors each year and play an even bigger role in the local tourism economy if it is able to add more parking to accommodate visitors and tour buses, an admissions center to welcome its guests, and spaces on-site dedicated to educational programming and displaying artifacts, amenities that it currently sorely lacks. That is why it is important that we seize this opportunity and allow Sonnenberg to acquire the adjacent Army Reserve property. It would be a win-win for Sonnenberg and the City of Canandaigua, and I am urging the Department of Defense and General Services Administration to work with Sonnenberg officials to make sure that Sonnenberg's quest to acquire this property does not fall through the cracks.

The Sonnenberg Gardens are currently located on a 50-acre historic estate and are a world-class tourist attraction to Ontario County. Sonnenberg is also currently listed on the National Register of Historic places. The property is owned by the State of New York, but is operated by a local non-profit organization, the Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion. Sonnenberg lacks a welcome center; a climate-controlled space to curate, archive and display artifacts; adequate paved parking for visitors and tour buses; dedicated educational programming space on its campus, and space to maintain and store its fleet of Trams and maintenance equipment. Sonnenberg wishes to expand so that it may provide these amenities to its visitors and attract more tourists to the area, but it does not currently have the appropriate infrastructure on its grounds to do so, and undertaking an expansion from scratch would be a tremendous expense and a major disruption to daily operations. Schumer said that a unique opportunity for Sonnenberg to expand has arisen, as the adjacent 3.5-acre Lemma Whyman Army Reserve property, which includes several buildings and a paved 140-car parking lot, will be vacated in the first quarter of 2015, as reservist training is set to move to an expanded modern facility in Webster. Schumer said that this adjacent USAR site, which is owned by DOD, is a prime location for the Sonnenberg expansion. Therefore, Schumer is pushing for the DOD and GSA to work with Sonnenberg officials to help them acquire this property.

Schumer explained that there are a number of steps that need to happen before Sonnenberg can acquire the Army Reserve property. Upon its departure from the site, the USAR will need to complete environmental tests to affirm the property is clear of contaminants, and then file a Report of Excess (ROE) to the General Services Administration (GSA) to dispose of the property per the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act. This process allows excess properties not required for use by another federal agency or for use as a homeless shelter to be offered to government entities or non-profits either through a conveyance or negotiated sale. This process ensures that local communities are given the opportunity to benefit and use surplus federal property, and Schumer is urging the USAR to complete its environmental review as soon as possible so that the property will not sit vacant and can be made available for reuse as soon as possible. Schumer explained that, while the federal property disposal process includes opportunities for private non-profits or government entities to acquire property before it may be offered for public sale, it can take more than a year from the time a facility is vacated and involves numerous steps. Therefore, Schumer is urging the DOD and GSA to help Sonnenberg navigate the disposal process to aid Sonnenberg in this pursuit.

Additionally, Schumer explained that, while the USAR site is now owned by the DOD, the 3.5 acre site was an original part of the historic 19th Century Sonnenberg estate that was established and built by the original Thompson family owners. Schumer also said that architectural features of the original Sonnenberg estate, such as the original mortar and stone perimeter wall, still exist on the 3.5 acre site. Thus, the re-acquisition of this parcel of land would not only help restore the original Sonnenberg estate but the existing USAR building and grounds would be repurposed to provide a more visitor-friendly experience and improve the site's potential to spur economic development.

Schumer was joined by Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park Executive Director David Hutchings, New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation Finger Lakes Regional Director Fred Bonn members of the Sonnenberg Board and local elected officials.

"We appreciate Senator Schumer's support of our interest to acquire the Army Reserve property," said David Hutchings, Executive Director of Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park. "This would not only restore this land which was the original south corner of the 19th century Sonnenberg estate back to the park, but allow us to complete long-sought upgrades and expansion to the park's infrastructure to attract tourists and vastly improve the public's enjoyment and use of all Sonnenberg offers. By acquiring the current Army Reserve property, we can finally create a visitor welcome and education center and will gain a needed climate controlled space to archive our collection, as well as an additional 140 car paved parking lot to accommodate tour buses, staff office space, and a place to store our fleet of Trams."

In November 2004, Senator Schumer visited Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion to announce $370,000 in federal funding through the Omnibus Appropriations bill's Save America's Treasures grant program. The funding was included in the Interior Appropriation section of the Fiscal Year 2005 bill and was used for repair and restoration work on the Sonnenberg grounds. Sonnenberg Mansion & Gardens is a fifty-acre estate developed between 1863 and 1923. Sonnenberg was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and assessments conducted in 2004 by both a historic preservation architect and structural engineer had identified them as the highest priority for stabilization and repair and the historic Thompson estate. Extensive stabilization and repair work could not have been accomplished without this funding, which Senator Schumer fought hard during the budget process to secure.

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