The Citizens Advisory Committee of the Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc. board of directors is inviting community members to submit suggestions on the future re-use of the Brooks Campus on Central Avenue.

The committee, a non-binding group of community leaders established by the health system’s board of directors, has been brought together to help guide a community-based vision and re-use of the campus. It is exploring future campus options and inviting requests for proposals for reuse of the current hospital site. The committee is being led by co-chairs Virginia Horvath, president of the State University of New York at Fredonia and Lou DiPalma, vice president for the Dunkirk-based Lake Shore Savings.

“The (committee) will have a deep and open conversation about the possibilities for the Central Avenue property and the neighborhood in which it sits,” DiPalma said. “As part of that conversation, the public is encouraged to submit ideas and comments relative to this important community project on the hospital website at www.brookshospital.org/hospital-reuse.”

“We are committed to an open dialogue regarding the future reuse of the Brooks Memorial Hospital campus,” said Dr. Horvath. “We look forward to hearing from immediate neighbors, community leaders, and citizens in general, about how reuse of this property can improve quality of life in the neighborhood.”

The committee is comprised of a cross-section of community members who have been chosen to reflect a diversity of viewpoints across the community — immediate neighbors, local business people, leaders of community based organizations, professionals with relevant expertise, people from major community institutions, and more.

Other members of the group include:

¯ Nate Aldrich, Community Economic Development Specialist

¯ Marty Bamonto, Member of City of Dunkirk Common Council

¯ Diane Hannum, Executive Director, Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation

¯ Shaun Heenan, Member of City of Dunkirk Common Council

¯ Tom Panasci, Owner, Pizza Village

¯ Steve Rees, Revitalize Dunkirk.

¯ Willie Rosas, Mayor City of Dunkirk

¯ Christine Schuyler, Director of Health and Human Services, Chautauqua County Department of Health.

¯ Loretta Slaton Torain, Director of Upward Bound Program

¯ Rebecca Yanus, Director of Planning & Development for City of Dunkirk

Comments may be submitted through the Brooks website at www.brookshospital.org/hospital-reuse or emailed directly to hospitalreuse@brookshospital.org.