WATERLOO — Arc of Seneca Cayuga announced it has received a $5,000 donation from Community Bank, N.A. of Waterloo. The money will be used toward the agency’s major expansion and renovation of its work facility at 1885 Danaren Drive in Waterloo, which houses the agency’s Finger Lakes Textiles (FLT) division. The Arc has now raised […]
WATERLOO — Arc of Seneca Cayuga announced it has received a $5,000 donation from Community Bank, N.A. of Waterloo. The money will be used toward the agency’s major expansion and renovation of its work facility at 1885 Danaren Drive in Waterloo, which houses the agency’s Finger Lakes Textiles (FLT) division.
The Arc has now raised $700,000 of the $915,000 cost of this project and says it is in the process of reaching out to numerous foundations, businesses, and individuals for additional financial support.
The $5,000 check presentation was made by Alexis Spina, Community Bank’s Waterloo branch manager, and Jim Vedora, a commercial banking officer in Community Bank’s Geneva office.
“We have many challenges, but the decreasing support from both state and federal governments is the biggest challenge we face. FLT is our most viable option to become financially sustainable. We’re very pleased that Community Bank, N.A. believes in our ability to do just that,” Arc Executive Director Allen Connely said in a news release.
Last year, FLT produced more than 1 million pieces of headwear, most of which fulfilled contracts with the U.S. military, the Arc said. The agency says that the surpluses generated by FLT operations are the primary reason it has been “able to stay in the black, despite major government funding cuts.” The Arc’s strategic plan aims to build on this success and greatly increase these surpluses.
“Everyone at Community Bank, N.A., is excited to be involved in this project that will increase income for Arc and preserve more than 60 jobs for people with developmental disabilities,” Spina said in the release.
Expansion plan
Step one of the Arc’s plan calls for adding 4,500 square feet to the FLT building, increasing work space by 50 percent. Step two involves using the additional space created by the expansion for a “state–of-the-art, automatic computer-driven, fabric-cutting system,” enabling the Arc to cut its own fabric and save $200,000 a year, the release stated.
Step three will move the tagging, bagging, and shipping part of the operation to Arc’s facility at 180 North St. in Auburn, preserving jobs at that site, while increasing production at the Waterloo facility. ν
