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A
self-guided
tour of Alternatives
Federal Credit Union
“What
would
you build
if you
could build
anything?”
I
t’s a freeing question. Our minds soared at the thought
of our new facility. We worked hard, trying to make this
new building the best of what we are and what we seek to
become. This community flows over in innovation. We
try to keep ahead of this motion. We ask ourselves, “How
does Alternatives exercise its leadership in this innovative
community? What has allowed us to survive is our ability to
look at old situations in new ways”
We are a financial institution that embodies the idea
that credit is a basic gateway both to personal financial
development and community development. Our objective
was to build a building to further those goals, a building that
would give us room to increase our programs and services to
further the Credit Path® model to financial independence. We
believe as you walk through this new building you’ll agree
with us when we say, we believe we’ve succeeded…
Bill Myers, CEO
The History…
O
ur success did not happen overnight. We opened our doors
on August 19, 2002, but that was after 9 long years of planning
and building...
Our move started in 1993 when our Board of Directors decided
it was time to find a new location that provided more space for
growth. Our choice, the former landmark site of the Moose
Building, set our neighborhood institution on the highest traffic
corner in the county.
With this building, our intention is to take a stand for community
in the midst of an increasingly global economy. Our new facility is a
business tool, improving the delivery of services to our membership.
We planned the building to accommodate growth for at least 10 years.
We wanted it to remind our members why they do business with us.
We wanted it to be comfortable, efficient, responsive to technological
change and to include green features and energy efficiency. The
distance from our old building to this new site is only 1,000 steps;
four blocks, three traffic lights. Ten minutes by foot. It’s a short halfmile, but it has taken us years to get here.
2001 We held a festive groundbreaking ceremony on the
construction site. To celebrate this new building for Ithaca’s only
Community Development Credit Union, Johnny Russo and the
East Hill Classic Jazz ensemble provided music to accompany
the seasonal refreshments, short speeches, drumming circle, and
homing pigeon release. A rainbow appeared in the sky as we
held the groundbreaking, a sure sign of good fortune.
2002 Four and one-half months later, on Valentine’s Day, we
celebrated the Topping Off Party. The structure was up and the roof
was complete! Over 500 members and the community became a
part of our history by signing their names on the exposed beams in
the “heart” of the building. More than five hundred people spent
part of that Valentine’s Day visiting our work in progress.
2002 Six months later we held the Grand Opening. People
filled the Credit Union lobby. The Lazure painted walls, Colorado
slate formica writing areas and the wide open space that is the new
Alternatives Federal Credit Union building was admired by all.
2004 After almost 2 years at our new building, the buildout of the second floor was completed, adding 11 new offices.
The Drive Thru mural, depicting the West End in the early
1900’s, was commissioned and finished by local member-artist
MaryBeth Ihnken.
As you walk up to our building…
The Boulder Sign
A
lternatives’ unique sign, designed by Buzz Dolph of
Finger Lakes Stone, is a 12 ton boulder that sits on the
corner of Seneca and Fulton Streets. Warren D. Allmon, director
of the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, gives
the background on our boulder: “The boulder is technically
‘granitic gneiss.’ but colloquially ‘granite.’ It almost surely
came from Canada, moved by a glacier. It’s unfortunately
impossible to say exactly when this happened — perhaps as
recently as 20,000 years ago, perhaps several hundred thousand
years ago. It’s
more likely to be
toward the more
recent end of this
spectrum, simply
because most of
the gravel and
erratics in New
York date from
the last retreat
of the glaciers.
The granite itself
is likely very old,
perhaps around
1 billion years
old.” This boulder was deposited with a potpourri of traveling stone in Lowville, New York. It made its
final journey to our corner by truck and was moved carefully
to its current resting place with a large crane, by Pogo Paolangeli. The Alternatives logo was expertly impressed into the
stone in a process much like fast erosion — sandblasting, by
Clayton Mayberry.
The rock garden surrounding the boulder is the end result of
two hundred hours of planning and work. Tom Myers and
Kris Cail, along with members of the North American Garden
Association, planted a variety of hardy plants able to survive
the heat, lack of water, salt spray and foot traffic that accompany
its location.
Building Design
T
he design of our building compliments the classic design of the
bus station across the street. The New Urbanist features enhance
Ithaca’s West End Business District: Our building is close to the street,
the Drive-Thru is in the back, out of sight. Parking is located on the
side and the covered and lighted sidewalk creates the closeness of
urban environments.
Our multi-story structure requires less land coverage than a single
story structure, minimizing storm water runoff through
reduced pavement and hard surfaces. Brick was our
choice for the exterior. We like the solid look it gives
the building and we appreciate its extended life and
minimum maintenance requirements.
Walking into the vestibule
T
he entrance to our building is adorned with stained
glass windows created and installed by member-artist
James Furman. As you walk into the vestibule you’ll see
an ATM and Walk-Up Teller to your left. The Walk-Up
Teller, unique to Alternatives, is our answer to the many
walking and bike-riding members who seek the extended
hours and convenience of the Drive-Thru, without the
car. The bulletin board, that allows for posting of upcoming events,
classes and opportunities, invites members to network.
Welcome to our lobby, and the first floor
A
s you enter the
building you see
the Reception desk,
where a Member
Service Specialist is
available to answer
all your questions
and provide you
with information on
the programs and
services we offer.
Behind Reception
are two New Account
offices. These are
welcomed additions in our new building, offering new privacy while
setting up member accounts.
Notice the walls behind the reception area and teller stations. Local
member-artist Andrea Staffeld painted them using a technique called
Lazure painting. In Lazure painting special pigments are applied as a
glaze over white walls, with many layers of colors built up to create a
translucent wall finish. The paint bases used are all natural components
and the pigments are made from natural sources.
A half wall to your right surrounds the
waiting area where members meet staff
for appointments, and fill out applications.
The waiting area also includes a space
for member business brochures and
business cards, and a Computer Kiosk
where banking can be done via the
internet. Behind the waiting area is our
ConsumerLoan Department. Our Loan
Officers are situated in these offices to allow
for easy access to our members, a convenience we’ve been repeatedly
asked to provide. Accessible bathrooms and a water fountain, located
just past the waiting area, is another convenience our new building
has made possible.
Our spacious lobby
provides plenty of
room for preparing
transactions, and, at
the same time, allows
members
to
visit
with other members.
Member-artist Durand
Van Doren created the
unique benches you
see in the lobby and at
the end of the covered
walkway.
The triangular Kiosks
offer easy access to information without wasting space. Kiosks display
programs to support our members:
• RoundOff®: invites members to “round off” their deposits by
giving to the non-profit of the month. Beyond donations, the member
non-profit gets exposure to our members. Member donations are
voluntary.
•Your 2 Cents: Asks members to share their concerns, complaints
and compliments.
•1 Minute Activist: A forum for organizations to share their causes.
Behind the Kiosks you’ll
see the children’s play area
with books and toys. The
half-wall allows parents
to keep an eye on their
young ones at play while
they do their banking. The
only problem with this
convenience is getting the
children to leave.
Member Business Mailboxes are located along the
north wall. These boxes
give our business owners
the convenience of doing
their banking without waiting in line. Members place transactions in
the Quick Drop or Night Drop. Receipts are placed in the mailboxes,
allowing business owners to pick them up at their convenience during
lobby hours.
Our new building boasts 4 rooms around the perimeter of the
lobby for meetings and private transactions. The walls of the lobby
are used for our “Artist of the Month” gallery where member-artists
display their work. You will also see permanent artwork throughout
the Credit Union, donated by members, and acknowledged by small
plaques attached to each piece.
In keeping with the “path” idea in the Alternatives Credit Path®, we
designed the floor leading to the teller area in different colored tiles,
creating another Alternatives path for members to follow when lining
up to do their banking.
As you leave the teller area you’ll notice our Wall of Awards. We’re
proud of the recognition we’ve received. This display allows us to
share our accomplishments with our members.
The first floor offices house Consumer Lending, Home Loans,
Business Services and The Business Resource Center, home of Business
CENTS, (Community Enterprise Networking and Training Services).
The Resource Center is staffed to provide resources and assistance
in starting and running small businesses. A business library and
computer loaded with Word, Quickbooks, Photoshop and Publisher
are available in the Center for use by members who work with the
Resource Center staff.
Back in the Vestibule you’ll find an elevator to the second floor,
allowing full handicapped access to the building.
A
The second floor
s you exit the elevator the first thing you’ll notice is a model of
the West End of Ithaca, circa 1953. This Diorama, the work of
member-artist David Fogel,
was first displayed in 1986 at
the DeWitt Historical Society.
It has found a permanent
home in the second floor lobby
of our building.
The Conference Room is
heavily used for Board, committee and staff meetings as
well as Business CENTS® and
Money Wise® classes, seminars and press conferences. The adjoining kitchen enhances the conference room space. Dividing walls between the boardroom and kitchen
fold back to give the option of creating one or two rooms. The kitchen
area is also used as our staff lunch room and lounge.
The second floor offices house our Administration, Accounting
Department, Human Resources, Development, Marketing, and our
training room.
Green features of our building
•Bicycle parking is available, both covered and open, in the front and
back of our building to make cycling to the Credit Union easier.
•The flooring in the teller area, the stairwells and the kitchen is
Ecosurface Flooring, made from 95% recycled tire rubber. This durable
and resilient surface, plus an underlying rubber cushion, offers added
comfort to our Member Service Representatives who stand on it for
many hours every day.
•All the carpeting you see on the first floor is reclaimed, cleaned,
shaved, redyed, cut into squares and re-backed by Milliken Earth
Square. The process reduces the need to make new carpeting. It allows
for reuse of old modular carpet in new installations, keeping tons of
old carpeting from clogging limited landfill spaces.
•We have recycling bins in every office so we can separate garbage
and paper. Our kitchen holds bins for recycling aluminum and
refundable bottles, plastic and glass, paper and compost.
•Painters used low VOC paint in our building. This type of paint has
reduced fumes.
•Alternatives received a NYSERDA Award for our energy efficient
lighting.
A special thanks to
our Building Committee
And to all those who made
the building possible
CONSTRUCTION
Acoustical Ceiling Accurate Acoustical
Lane Chambliss
Alum. & Glass Inlet Glass
Appliances Thayer’s
Carol Chernikoff
Artwork Trim Ithaca Millwork
Kenny Christianson
Asphalt Paving Ruston Paving
Diana Drucker
Bank Equipment Diebold
Bath Accessories Wilcox Building Specialties, Inc
Jim Fravil
Benches Durand Van Doren
Karl Graham
Carpentry Bryan Construction
Leni Hochman
Casework G.M. Hall
Ceramic Tile Ithaca Tile
Paul Mazzarella
Computer, Phone, Wiring All Mode
Bill Myers
Concrete & Brick Paolangeli Contracting
Leslie Strebel
Doors & Hardware Davis Fetch
Drywall, Drivelt, Accurate Acoustical
Tom Terrizzi
Electrical Pleasant Valley Electric
Elevator Thyssen Krupp
Flooring RD Weis
Furnishings Stephen’s Office Interiors
Handyman Peter DeMott
HVAC & Plumbing Collins & Walton
Kiosks Marino Custom Display
Landscaping GreenTree
Lazure Painting Andrea Staffeld
Lobby Tile Ithaca Tile & Hardwood
Lumber & Building Wickes Lumber
Supply Material Testing Wood Consulting & Testing Service
Millwork Ithaca Millwork
Network Switches, Firewall Computing Center
Operable Partition Wilcox Building Specialties, Inc.
Painting JH Cook
Phone System All Mode
Roofing Rosile Roofing
Security System Brown Security
Security Cameras Danica
Signs ASI Signs
Soils Engineering Wood Consulting & Testing Service
Stone Sign Buzz Dolph
Structural Steel Fabricators Schenectady Steel
Structural Steel Erectors Accufab
Window Shades Bishops
DESIGN
P.W. Campbell Contracting
Company, Inc
Rick Larson, Pierce Design
Ray DiPasquale - Foundation Design
INSURANCE
Bill Ganzenmuller
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
P.W. Campbell:
Bill Taylor, Site Manager
Bob Saunders, Exec. V. P.
Joe Bullister, Project Manager
LEGAL
Steve Bisker
125 N. Fulton Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
Jim Salk
607 273-4611 • www.alternatives.org