OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Ivy Rivera poses in her home at 43 W. Fourth St. in Dunkirk, the former Gardiner-Colletti Funeral Home. Rivera is moving her Ivy League Psychic Academy to the home, with the grand opening set for Sunday.

The transformation of the former Gardiner-Colletti Funeral Home is well underway, with Ivy Rivera now living there and planning to open her Ivy League Psychic Academy on Sunday.

After throwing open the long-closed doors on July 17 so curious people could have a look around, Rivera found herself with a huge task in trying to fix up the grand 19th century building at the corner of Dove and West Fourth streets. The home had been closed for over a decade before Rivera purchased it earlier this year.

Asked what she’s done, and what’s still ahead, she replied, “Pretty much everything.”

She relocated there from Grand Island days after the July open house. However, “we’ve been focusing on repairing the outside, basic cleanup before I can get to painting,” she said.

One thing she did is obvious to anyone who drives by: the overgrown shrubbery surrounding the house got cut way back, or removed entirely.

“Having them cut down the bamboo and stuff brought back the charm,” she said. “You can see the Victorian porches now.”

Another improvement: “We tore out that hideous light sign that was in the bushes.” The sign had served the funeral home but was in a derelict state, its cover missing and broken bulbs visible.

She had the exterior power-washed and painting finally started last weekend.

Rivera also added a couple things. There is a large, colorful Halloween display on the lawn. She also made sure to put up some signs advertising her Ivy League Psychic Academy, which note its grand opening is “coming soon.”

Evidently, some people aren’t getting the message. Although it is now technically a private home, “it’s not stopping the crowds from entering the space,” she said. People ask for tours every day, she said.

Rivera said she is cleaning “one floor at a time … getting the mold and dust off this amazing woodwork,” she said. Eventually, she wants to renovate the woodwork on the upper levels, which is in much worse condition than the former funeral home visiting space on the first floor. Cleaning what’s already there is the priority now, though.

It’s been a busy summer. “Before I even get out of bed in the morning, people are here working,” she said.

Rivera said she plans on offering historical tours of the home sometime next year.

For now, the next big step is to relocate her psychic academy from Niagara Falls. According to its website, the academy “is a school designed to better meet the rapidly growing needs of those ready to understand and embrace their own sprirtual and energetic potentials.” Students may study to become a “Ivy League certified medium” or for their own personal development.

People can get a taste of one of her classes from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, during the open house, when she will be offering a free session. (In case you’re wondering, the Buffalo Bills have a bye week and don’t play that afternoon.)

The opening itself is from 2 to 7 p.m. and will include a psychic fair, with astrology, tarot readings and mediumship. Rivera will offer raffles, giveaways and discounts on services.