Meet the Projects: Part 2

What public projects could shape the future of downtown Fairport? In Meet the Projects, Part 2, we’re joined by Fairport Village Manager Bryan White to break down the conceptual public projects included in the Village’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative application and the vision behind them. 

Contact Bryan White, Fairport's Village Manager

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hi, we're back with Fairport Forward. I'm Jonna McCuey. And I'm Amy Olds. And today we're going to do part two of Meet the Projects. Part two. Part two. The public projects. So we had a great opportunity to talk about the private projects and how they're going to impact the village. But another key piece of the DRI is it's a combination of public and private investment in our village. So we're going to get into those projects. Like always, we start with talking about the survey and what did people think about the public projects that are in the application? Sure.

Johnna McCooey 0:38

I would say there was definitely a clear trend of people concerned about safety. Safety was came up quite a bit when we were talking, because that's the public is there. So people want to feel that they can take their kids for a walk and not be worried that they're gonna like, you know, lean on a fence and topple over. So safety was a big thing. People really, really care about Caneli Park. So we'll get talking about that project particularly. There's a lot of uh reminiscing that goes on. There's a lot of memories that have been made through generations. So some of these public spaces have has have a real pull on people's heartstrings. So it's important that we keep that in mind as we are talking through because change is not easy and it's not always about transforming a space into something completely new. But we have to also remember that there are some really, really deep and rooted feelings and memories created in some of these spaces. So those were some of the themes that really, I think, underscored a lot of the comments.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Great. Um, that's a great segue to introduce our guest, Brian White, the expert in managing safety in particular in our public spaces. Um, but Brian is our expert today to talk about the public realm. Can you introduce yourself and give us a little bit about your background and experience in Fairport?

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Certainly. Well, thanks for having me. Yeah, I'm the village manager in Fairport, been there about 12 years. It's been a lot of fun. Uh, and in that 12 years, it's been a great kid to spend somewhat of a renaissance in Fairport. You know, coming from a village, I just kind of did a lot of municipal work to really becoming a village that has been a place where people want to be and it's become a gathering point for folks within the suburbs and the city of Rochester, which isn't always the case for a lot of smaller villages, but we have a lot to offer and those types of things. So being being able to be a part of that and have and be part of that pulse and some of that facilitation, it's been exciting. And that's the kind of stuff that people like me that get into local government management and so forth want to be able to do versus just doing the day-to-day type of operation when you can be proactive and be part of that. It's a really it's a fun opportunity.

Johnna McCooey 2:37

That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah, definitely a lot of change has happened over the last 12 years in airport. So that's really cool that you've been a part of that and part of the next 12, maybe. I hope so.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Great. So um, as part of that, when we went through the DRI application, Brian, as a rep as the representative of the village, we did a lot of collaboration on how could these dollars be used within the village. And before the projects got to the application and to the survey that people responded to, we leaned on your expertise for where do our investments need to go. A lot of things we don't see them, back to the point about safety, but your insight was able to, we were able to shape these projects in a way that could address the things where people have strong emotional connection, like Canelly Park, and also things where it's not so sexy and exciting, but safety is a factor, like one of the big projects is improvements to the harbor. So let's talk about some of the projects and maybe start with Canelli Park. This what actually was one that came directly from you when we were talking about what we could do with DRI dollars, what would you do with it? Canelly Park came right to mind. So why is that something that you think we need to be investing in?

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Well, Caneli Park's great. I mean, it's a you talk about our true urban park in a small village like ours. It's right in the cornerstone center of the village, right adjacent to the Erie Canal, the Lyft Bridge, all those iconic things that make Fairport unique in its own right and they're well known. And it's and it's a memorial park, you know, due to Mr. Kennelly. So there's a lot going on there, but you know, when you talk about really capitalizing on placemaking and so forth, it could be so much more. And it's served its purpose, I think, for a really, really long time. And then not that, and it's not saying that there's anything wrong with the existing configuration, but there's always rooms to for improvement and to build upon the successes that we've had there. Uh, it's a great, great spot for music and other types of venues like that this summer, and it's highly utilized for that. But is there a better opportunity to do that and facilitate that maybe in a different way? Right now it's used for a lot of paths through stuff, and unless there's a true event there, it's not utilized, in my opinion, to the best of its ability. We want to maximize that potential to the point that we can. So, what that looks like, I have no idea the community will weigh in on that. But, you know, making sure that I think, you know, there's opportunities for how do you how do you access the canal a little further? Maybe there's some decking or some bridging that goes out. Talking about safety, you know, right now there's some some kind of uh an older design railing system.

Johnna McCooey 5:10

Yeah, overall, there's some elements that just they're just a little dated, right? Yeah, I want to have my lunch and overlook the canal, but you know, maybe those wrought iron uh tables and shares have been there for, I don't know, I think a while. Like maybe there's a more modern interpretation without losing the charm and character that people do love about Canelly Park. I I know that one comment in particular, actually two comments about Canelly Park, the project in the survey, said use the words cute and quaint. And they're like, we don't want to lose that. Like Canelly Park is cute and quaint, and it, you know, to use a theme we've talked about a lot, right sized for a village. So, you know, we're not gonna come in and like build some insane, like modern culture type thing. But it's to your point, so incredibly like central to the village. Think of how the traffic goes in and out of that library. Like I'll have to look up the statistic, but there was some incredible amount of folks that came in and out of that library every day. It was like in the thousands a week.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

So another um function that I think could be improved is the connection between Main Street and West Avenue. And the merchants and the businesses that are there in that redeveloped space. So investment has happened on West Avenue, and you can walk into Canale Park and get to Moonlight Creamery if you know it's there, but it's a little bit um obscured. The flow could be improved, and through that we can have an impact from an economic development perspective.

SPEAKER_00 6:43

100%. I mean, I think if you, you know, better lighting, make it something where you kind of kind of naturally funnels you in off of Main Street, you know, thousands of people pass by that every day, especially in the summertime walking. What's a what's something that's going to draw you into that now versus saying, unless I have to go through there and get to moonlight or because I live on the west side of the village, you don't really do so. So trying to figure out what that looks like and capitalize on that, I think would be great. Uh to your point, it's it's not that it's it doesn't serve dysfunction for a long time, but I just think there's better opportunities to maximize the space. It's a great, great opportunity. It's a great public space. We want to keep it that way.

Johnna McCooey 7:15

Some of the initial, you know, artistic concepts that of course are conceptual. Uh I think what is interesting uh thinking about how there could be more seating without actual seating, like the idea that there can be some organic tiering of the actual land to allow folks to to sit and at on maybe a ledge of earth, but like gear so it's like seating, quote unquote, but it's not you know lawn chairs that use canal stones or something like that and put them up through there. Anything that can take its natural beauty and and and amplify it, I think would be really, really neat. There was another concept of bringing in some sort of mosaic artist to maybe create and play off of the light reflecting off of the water, and how could that a canal wall like have an artistic feature that just even more draws your attention to how it's a beautiful canal site location? So just like taking that.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

So to that point, you both said it a couple of times, but a lot of the projects in the DRI have us thinking about reenvisioning our orientation on the canal because when the canal first came through and or when the buildings went up, it wasn't the attraction and the say didn't have the same recreational use that it did. Uh right, exactly. And who would have cared about, you know, the packet boat going down and what they're seeing from the um the tow path? But now people do care. And this is just another example of Fairport and its commitment to that canal as our second main street.

Johnna McCooey 8:53

That's a good transition to some of the harbor improvements, too. If we want to talk about that is another major public project. I know safety is a huge one. You were talking about a tour you had with Brian that I thought was so funny how you were you said something about shaping something.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Yes. So um one of the parts of Brian's job that I really appreciate are again, the things that we don't see and that aren't that um outstanding and they're not like cool. Hey, let's talk about putting a trolley on Main Street. It's that, hey, did you know that railing over here on your property is rickety and it's not safe and someone could fall? And you have a great DPW team that is always out there looking out for the best interest of residents and visitors for first and foremost. Obviously, the the best interest of the village. And even O said, because we have such a great partnership there with them. Um, but yes, we were talking about again these projects and our opportunities and what could be done with our harbor because boat traffic is a big part of of the way people visit Fairport. So um when Brian said, Oh, we can use new ballers, I'm like, well, what even is that? And you touch it, it's like, well, okay, I I can see what you mean, but I I wouldn't see it, but you would see that.

SPEAKER_00 10:10

So you know, it's something, you know, we are a canal town, and I always say that you we'd be another just another village within Western New York without having this great asset called the Erie Canal that comes through there. And then we embrace that. You know, the village in OSAT and other partners in our community have done a really great job and made a commitment to making rehabilitation, investing in that uh canal corridor, whether it be for docks or for placemaking or installations for art or whatever those might be. Um, but we we love having boats come through here, bringing that traffic. It it gets folks here. We're trying to find great ways for businesses to capitalize on that beautification or rehabilitation along the canal, whether they be setting up bands or new new restaurants or so forth. But yeah, I mean, I think maybe, you know, looking at, you know, maybe that's becomes more of a boardwalk versus you're not really not in those docking areas uh unless you're you're having a boat there or, you know, visiting the Colonial Bell or going on a tour or something like that. So maybe some different types of lighting, different types of hardscapes. Um, a lot of that stuff was done and it was beautiful then, but you know, it's hit its kind of useful life expectancy. It was done, you know, 25 years ago. It's time to make making an investment. And what does that look like today versus 25 years ago? I mean, we have a lot of opportunity. I think there's a desire to continue to grow and invest in that that infrastructure there. So uh we put, you know, over six figures last year into all new beautification along the Southeast Corridor and really making that that greenscape nice. So uh let's see what the next 20 years looks like for us.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

Great. Um, can you talk a little about the harbor and its activity? There's uh a dock master, someone's on duty, people can talk talk about that program that was new to me when I came to the airport.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

Well, April through through October, the canal's essentially open uh or we're getting ready to open or close for the season based on the canal's corpse schedule. But uh yeah, we have a dock master, and what their role is, they're ambassadors for the village. They come out, they love to talk. We find people that just love like us. We're sitting here, we're chatting, we're really excited about what's going on in the village. And they do that, you know, in addition to some typical maintenance duties, but they help people coming in, they welcome them, they help them moor their boats up, they help give guidance about what's going on in the village, where they can get certain things or places they can visit. Um, and they're really instrumental to to bringing that great boating experience to the village. And we do really, really well with that. We do, we have thousands of unique visitors every year through the with with boating. Um we try to increase that every single year. We saw a big uptick in COVID when people were trying to uh find new ways to experience life. Um, but it's great, you know, and we've made some nice investments and we want to continue to do that. Um, you know, nothing on the water is inexpensive, but it's what people love. I mean, things on the water is what's fun, right? Water makes people happy. They want to be on it, they want to be around it, they want to be consumed by it. So we got to find ways to keep embracing that and and capitalizing on it.

Johnna McCooey 13:04

For sure. And um it is our second main street. I say that a lot, but also it's you know, could be if you arrive via boat, it could be what you your first visuals experience you of arrival to Fairport. So I think that's something to keep in mind too.

SPEAKER_01 13:19

And people can dock for the day, they can dock overnight. Did they dock all season? What does that look like?

SPEAKER_00 13:25

Some people do. They it is. It's uh it's a transient boater system. You know, thankfully we have enough space where we're not saying, hey, you know, you kind of meet your expectation or you because you wanted a moor here all year that we got to move it, you move lead out because there's uh there's a lack of space. I mean, uh the village uh has invested a lot going west in in uh on the canal to provide more docking spaces and so forth. Uh some of the challenges with that are just due to the water levels, just due to some maintenance things that have to happen. But that's okay. It doesn't stop it. There's there's a there's a right boat for every docking facility that we have. But we want to promote, you know, kayaking and small boat launches and crafts. And we have facilities now, new facilities to to to ensure that you have that opportunity to do that. But yeah, uh we do it by by day, by week, by by the season. Uh you can even reserve a spot and do some type of agreement with us, and it works out really well. We promote businesses. We have a tiki boat that comes out and does tours and and and does that, you know, the colonial bell's there all season long. Um giving out tours and iconic to Fairport and providing that experience. I mean, there's very few times where you can actually do that, very few opportunities from a private sector that's allowing tours like that to happen. So we're glad to have that and host host the Colonial Bell in Fairport. Yeah, yeah.

Johnna McCooey 14:37

What a differentiator for our village to just have not only already embraced the canal, but to know that we're just looking for even more opportunities to continue that. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

And I think the sky's a limit, right? We're trying to look at, you know, gains and beautification project. And we want you, once you get there, what do you do with your time? But you need places to sit, to congregate, to muster. So we're thinking about all those types of things, not just me, you know, making the the the hardscapes look nice and keeping the upkeep, but you know, if you're going to do it, what's that next step? What makes it that awe-inspiring, fun thing that you want to sit around and actually enjoy more than five minutes because you're passing through? And that's always the challenge with anything. And how do you do that? Or what's your role?

Johnna McCooey 15:18

Yeah, you mentioned the Doc Master kind of playing a hospitality role, but even without that person there, the another public project that we were hoping to direct funds to is placemaking and wayfinding. And there are opportunities, I think, along the harbor to draw folks back in, you know, up, up the stairs, up the ramp, you know, come up here and and up here there's a place to eat, and up here there's a place you can get ice cream, and up here you can grab a coffee. So some maybe business-oriented signage could could, even though a public project, it's also trying to draw people to explore, you know, get up and and come off the water for a little bit and then go back down. It's just kind of interesting.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

Yeah. So, Brian, as we talk about reevaluating public spaces, tell us about some of the things the public or, you know, everyday resident might not be thinking about when you evaluate these kind of product projects.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

That's a great question because you know, what we try to do when we look at infrastructure, right, is it we can just replace it in kind as it currently exists, or what's a better way of meeting the need to reinvest or rehabilitate something, but how can we capitalize on that? How can we make it better or something unique that's unique to Fairport that makes it stand out? Lickbridge Lane West uh was one of those types of projects. That was something where that street needed a full drainage and infrastructure and new road base and so forth. Well, that's easy. We do that all day long. That's the cornerstone municipal government, but boring. So what else are we doing? We just put millions of dollars into canal frontage and new docking and stuff, but we're gonna leave this street going to it. So uh, did it really need to be a street anymore? Uh, the businesses that were there utilizing that street, uh, a former uh mechanical garage wasn't gonna be there anymore. So, like, what are we doing? So, we literally took a pause as we were doing the the docking spaces and said, Hey, what else could we do? And I remember getting the team together, we went into the conference room at Village Hall, we started doing Google images. Like, you're talking about grassroots, just easy, like no idea, but like it's gotta be better than this. And it came really exciting. People were like pointing and looking at the screen, like, oh, what about this? And look, everybody's having cafes outside. So, what Lippbridge Lane West is now is complete pedestrian corridor. It's got music, it's got Wi-Fi, it's got micing systems, it's got all the infrastructure you want to host any type of event. Um, and finally, hopefully this year we're gonna do some programming. We're working with your office to do that as well. Um, the the former building, machete building that's there now uh is hopefully going to be re be repurposed uh into some type of new venue or restaurant or whatever that might be. And we want all that to kind of come in, right? And to work together in cohesion. So um, and that's what we want. I want nothing more than that place packed 24-7, doing whatever it is that the public wants to see there in order to provide some type of flair and entertainment for something that's happening. Not to mention, Lithbridge Lane West is a uh a connection point for everyone coming off that canal. That's how you enter, and it's the first thing that you see when you enter the village of Fairport or signs there, or bathrooms there. It's like, hey, you're here. Look what's going on, right? So we should be saying, hey, we are here. Look how great it is.

unknown 18:27

Right?

Johnna McCooey 18:28

That's really cool. Just that overarching idea of like making sure you take that pause as a community and say, Well, wait, before we just do it, is there something that we could be doing more intro in a more interesting and unique way that we're gonna be able to do that?

SPEAKER_00 18:42

I mean, that's that's the fun stuff about this job. I mean, because you're not just doing and and chasing the basics all day long. You have an opportunity here in a very supportive board in the community that wants to see something different, something cool, something proactive. And that's the fun stuff. That's why you get in this business to move the needle. And that's what we do for projects like that. Now, most people probably look at it as something very simple, like, yeah, yeah, you kind of just made a pedestrian corridor. But doing that and touching those types of themes to everything that we do and everything that you guys have been talking about with the DRI and these public and private projects, those are the things that make the difference.

SPEAKER_01 19:16

And that's absolutely yeah. Um I heard, I hope it's true because I've been acting as if it is true. First of all, there's seating there too. People might not realize that the Adirondack chairs and tables, those are for public use. You should go hang out there. They're not just for the businesses um surrounding. Uh, but I also heard it's open container there. So you can bring your own bottle of wine and sit there and have a nice um, you know, afternoon hangout.

SPEAKER_00 19:47

You should invite us over. We'll have a glass with you. I mean, that's the whole point of it. The whole point is to find a space where people congregate, get together, be a community, have friendships, and have a laugh. That's the point of it, right? And whatever, whatever that looks like for anyone, we're open to that.

Johnna McCooey 20:01

Yeah. What a cool like idea for a random Saturday, especially when the weather's not negative million. But the idea of, hey, you know, grab your mom, grab your sister, grab your friend, go go shopping down, you know, down Main Street, down our boutiques, take a little walk, and then, you know, pop a little cork at the at the festival site on Live Bridge like that.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

When my parents come into town, we do it every single time. My mom's like, let's just go and have like a before dinner, have a free drink, we'll go there, we'll get a glass of wine, some cheese, we go hang out there for an hour. We do it every single time she comes in when the weather's nice, and then we'll go walk to some restaurant and go have that a night of it. But it's super fun. And she loves it. It's one of the things that she just loves about doing that. And it's simple. You can have a bottle a glass of wine anywhere, right? But she chooses to come here and it's just sitting outside doing that with her family that that makes it fun.

Johnna McCooey 20:47

Yeah, and there's a bathroom right there, water fountain right there. You know, you'll get to people watch, bike watch. A lot of lot of people watching, good people watch in there.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

For sure. Yes. So other projects, we haven't talked about every public project, and but we kind of have throughout the the course of our series here. We talked about the trolley, that's a public project. We talked about placemaking and wayfinding, that's a public project. There's the small project fund. Did we talk about that in Meet the Projects number one?

Johnna McCooey 21:21

We did, we did. But um, because it could potentially be private projects that are encompassing that, but I think it's um it was submitted as part of a larger public project concept. Um, and then the all the bike stuff, bicycle improvement infrastructure. We've talked a lot about some of these in our transportation episode. Yeah. So if you're interested in hearing a little more detail about those projects particularly, you could could visit that episode.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Right. And then um last but certainly not least is the public art trail. That's a another public project. We have a whole episode dedicated to that, so we're not going to get into that too much today. Um Brian, any other thoughts that you want to leave our listeners with when thinking about either these projects for the DRI or things that are happening in Fairport in general?

SPEAKER_00 22:15

Uh people should know that things are happening. Um, you know, Fairport wants to be a place that is unique and vibrant and fun, and there's activities going on all the time. It doesn't mean though, that it has to be this massive large-scale event or all-consuming, all streets, all thing for a weekend, but that there's always some little niche thing happening that you could do, consume. We've had somebody come meet with us the other day about doing maybe a possible yoga festival or something, just something different that you normally don't see. Um, but we're open to any of those things. At least it's worth a discussion and what can we do to help facilitate some of that. Um, I very much want the public to communicate through whatever means necessary to let us know hey, what what moves the needle for them, what's interesting, what's fun, what is something that's happening in their travels that maybe can be brought to a community like ours that we can facilitate with our existing resources. If that's the case, I thought there's nothing off the table. So bring it on. Let's go.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

Great. Uh people should just pick up the phone, call Village Hall.

SPEAKER_00 23:17

Pick up the phone. Call, text, everyone else. We're in.

SPEAKER_01 23:20

Awesome. Any other thoughts from the survey or ideas that we should be thinking about from your perspective?

Johnna McCooey 23:28

I would say again, I've said it before, it's not too late. We have plenty of time still to fine-tune these concepts. And to Brian's point, now is a perfect time to bring your ideas for all the things that we've talked about. I keep saying it over and over. There's plenty of ways to reach out. If you need a contact form, you can go to fairportdi.com or you can pick up the phone and call Brian.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

Yeah. We'll leave his uh cell number in the show notes. Um well, this has been really great. Thank you for joining us. One thing I really enjoy about my time here in Fairport is that commitment to making things happen. And so much of that starts right at uh Village Hall where your team works. Between um the DPW, your supporting um offices and leadership that you have there. It's great to be part of a team that cares so much about the impact of decisions on the community and uh and the public space. So thanks for joining us. Thank you.