Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Philanthropy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bonifiglia Family Foundation outlines $1M in local investments, offers hotel parcel for development
Summary
Judy Wenzel said the Bonifiglia Family Foundation has invested roughly $1,000,000 in Seneca Falls and funded a downtown facade program; she described a 2.5‑acre hotel parcel the foundation hopes to develop and said they would consider selling it for $1 to a suitable partner.
Judy Wenzel, executive director of the Bonifiglia Family Foundation, told the board the foundation has focused on downtown revitalization, placemaking and youth learning and has invested "approximately $1,000,000" in Seneca Falls and Seneca County since 2021. She described a facade revitalization program that paid up to 75% of eligible project costs with an upper limit of $150,000 and used a non‑reimbursement model that distributed funds as work progressed.
Wenzel highlighted the foundation’s role in supporting mural installations (national recognition), developing an arts trail plaque program with the Seneca Falls Development Corporation, and advancing a hotel project on a 2.5‑acre parcel. She said the foundation is seeking hospitality partners and indicated they are "willing to sell the property for a dollar to a developer who adheres to the vision," and that the foundation is investing predevelopment dollars to attract partners.
Board members expressed appreciation for the foundation’s investments and the aesthetic and economic benefits to downtown; the board later approved a resolution to allocate funds for plaque installations tied to the arts trail.
