Tax breaks OK’d for Bivona Center project

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The nonprofit Bivona Child Advocacy Center soon may be on the move in its efforts to better provide services for children who have been abused, although the new location is a bit of a fixer-upper.

Members of the County of Monroe Industrial Management Agency, or COMIDA, on Tuesday approved $135,891 worth of mortgage and sales tax breaks to One Mt. Hope LLC, which will lease the building at 1 Mt. Hope Ave. to the center.

The real estate holding company plans a $4.8 million renovation project to make it happen. According to COMIDA records, here’s what needs to be done to the 35,000-square-foot building and grounds that are “severely deteriorated:” a new roof, historical restoration of the parapet, a significant interior restoration and major systems upgrades.

Since its founding 10 years ago, the center has helped more than 12,000 children and their families and a centralized location will help to better provide services, according to Executive Director Mary Whittier.

The need for services is great and the Bivona model of bringing help agencies to the child works well, but the center has outgrown its space on Lake Avenue, Whittier said in a brief presentation to the board. The building on Lake Avenue building is owned by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which will stay, Whittier said.

“A central location is extremely important to what we do,” Whittier said. “We cannot be in Brockport. We cannot be in East Rochester.”

The Mt. Hope site offers advantages to the agency, including easy access to Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong Memorial Hospital and downtown law enforcement agencies. More important, the site offers easy access to families, Whittier said.

“We see this as our permanent home,” Whittier said.

The center does receive some government funding, but the community helps a great deal, through fundraising and donations. About $4.2 million has been raised during a three-year campaign, Whittier said.

“People in this community are increasingly generous for something people don’t want to talk about,” Whittier said.

In order to receive state and federal historic tax credits to defray a portion of the costs, a for-profit entity had to be created, according to COMIDA attorney Michael Townsend. 1MH will own and renovate the property.

When the tax credit goes away in five to seven years, the entity reverts to a not-for-profit, Townsend said.

The center employs 11 and the project itself is expected to create three new full-time jobs over the next three years. COMIDA staff members say the project will provide an estimated $134,166 in state and regional benefits.